Is Poland At Risk For Atrocity Crimes? | "Red Flags or Resilience?" Series

Warszawa, Poland, 10/30/2020

Women's Strike demonstration in Warsaw. Outraged by a court decision to ban nearly all abortions, thousands of people took to the streets on Friday in the largest demonstration yet.

CREDIT: Maciek Nabrdalik / VII / Stanley Center

When COVID-19 forced countries to impose widespread lockdowns last year, there was a concurrent surge in gender based violence and domestic abuse. The United Nations has called this a "shadow pandemic" in which lockdowns everywhere lead to a sharp increase in gender based violence.

This includes Poland, where even before the pandemic levels of gender based violence were extremely high.  During the first month of the lockdown in March 2020, the country's largest women's rights center received a 50% increase in calls to its emergency domestic abuse hotline.

This COVID-induced spike in gender-based violence in Poland comes as the country is deep into a democratic backslide. The government of Poland is controlled by the ruling Law and Jus…