P093. Redefining rape in Poland - judicial, political and social perspectives on the phenomenon

• In Event: Poster Session & Ice Cream Social

Abstract

Considered as outdated by the scientific standards, the 1932 Penal Code’s rape legal definition has been replaced by the consent-based one.
The paper discusses broader context of a modern approach on rape, adopted by Polish legislation organs in the Penal Code Amendment Act from 28th of June 2024. The author elaborates, by taking perspectives of the different domains of social sciences, on the evolution of the understanding of rape within Polish society; additionally she decided to depict the current sex crime issues via the lenses of different groups, who might be the most likely ones to be victimized by the acts of violating sexual integrality.
The first part includes a short introduction to the historical background of the crime of rape in modern Polish society. This presentation leads to the commencement of the 2nd part, constituted by the analysis of the current perception of the phenomenon of rape in Poland. The 3rd part would position the influence of the discussed reform on society. The research which is being proposed would be focused on the influence of the revised article 197 on the effectiveness of combatting the crime of rape within Polish legal system.
To summarize this poster presentation, the scenarios of possible evolution of perception of rape within Polish society will be proposed, as well as briefly described with consideration of the actual trends in macro-scale politics and those of a more particular, narrowly understood contexts.

Author

• Magdalena Szypulska, Uniwersytet Wrocławski