The Women's Rights Center was founded in December 1994. The Center was created to ensure that a gender perspective is present during the law-making process and in the application of law, and that women and men are equal before the law. The Women's Rights Center is a diligent advocate for equal status and opportunities for women and men in public life and within the family.

The Center's philosophy and activities reflect the following beliefs:

* Women's Rights are inalienable, integral and indivisible part of fundamental human rights.

* Equality between men and women is a necessary precondition for building democracy. True democracy, at the personal as well as public level, must encompass more than formal guaranties. Democracy must embrace equal opportunities for women and men to realize their potential and to attain their goals in the public sphere, in employment, and in their personal life.

* Partnership between men and women within the family and challenges to traditional gender roles and perceptions in society's customs and habits are preconditions to gender equality in the political and economic sphere.

* Discrimination and violence against women violate fundamental human rights. Physical, sexual or psychological abuse, including threats of such acts or coercion, whether occurring in public or private life, violates and substantially impairs a woman's realization of her human rights and fundamental freedoms, and is an obstacle to achieving gender equality.

* A woman's right to choose if and when to bear children is a fundamental human right. Limitations on this choice constitute gender discrimination and violate Women's human rights.

The main goals of the Center are to:

* change the law and the application of law, as well as those customs and habits of the culture at large which violate gender equality;

* ensure that a gender perspective is included in the creation and implementation of law, as well as in governmental and non-governmental projects and programs;

* foster the recognition of Women's rights as human rights;

* educate and sensitize society about discrimination and violence against women, particularly within the legal community;

* raise women's awareness of their rights through publications and by providing legal assistance to women who are victims of discrimination and violence.

The Center is accomplishing these goals by:

* monitoring and analyzing existing and proposed legislation and policy from a perspective of gender equality and equal opportunities for women and men;

* conducting research, developing independent analyses and proposing legislation on gender equality and issues of specific importance to women;

* monitoring the implementation of international conventions and agreements signed by Poland which specifically affect women and concern gender equality;

* educating society about gender equality through publications, organizing conferences and workshops, and utilizing the media;

* providing legal counseling and psychological support to women who are victims of discrimination and violence;

* cooperating with Women's organizations around the world and coordinating regional activities of the East-East Legal Committee.

Human resources and organizational capacities

The permanent staff of the WRC in Poland has increased and now consists of six people: a director, a full time lawyer, four part time lawyers, and an administrative manager. We continue to work on bringing new people to assist the WRC in its activities on a voluntary basis. Presently there are four people volunteering at the Center: one attorney mainly working as an advisor and occassionally representing our clients in court, one retired woman lawyer, and two young lawyers. Another attorney is a disabled woman who works once a week for the Center. Other people continue to apply to the WRC as volunteers, and the Center is currently in the process of developing permanent volunteer positions. There is also an interest among our clients in assisting the WRC in its activities, and the Center is also working towards incorporating clients into additional volunteer positions. Thanks to a grant from the Warsaw local government which was granted last year, the Center currently employs more people and provides legal and psychological assistance to more individual women then ever before.

The Women's Rights Center's Publications:

1. Women's Constitutional Rights.

2. Learn Your Rights... If you are a Victim of Violence.

(The first publication in the "Learn Your Rights" series).

3. Myths and Facts: Domestic Violence.

4. Sexual Abuse of Children.

5. Rape and Other Forms of Sexual Violence.

6. Learn your rights .... at the labor market"