Council of Europe focuses on human rights

Upgraded protection of workers, the prevention of police-orchestrated violen ce,access to education for children from rural areas - these are some of the recommendations addressed to Polish authorities by the human rights commissioner of the Council of Europe, Alvaro Gil-Robles. The country's judicial system is pitiful - trials last for years, prisons are bursting at the seams, it is difficult to obtain free legal aid. Laws on discrimination should undergo detailed revision. The group most discriminated against is homosexua ls, who are refused medical aid and police protection due to HIV fears. Those diagnosed HIV positive were found to be mistreated on a number of occasions. The report emphasized the isolation of the disabled, whose access to education and employment is limited. The authorities are said to underestimate acts of violence within families. There are cases of outright refusal to conduct prenatal examinations or abortions, even though the conditions specified by the letter of the law are met. Poland is a place where people are traded - Polish women are sold to a several countries in Western Europe. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p.11) A.C.