JINHA

NEWS CENTER – Despite the opposition of the Catholic Church, which called the Istanbul Convention "extremist neo-Marxist gender theory," Poland has signed onto the international convention committing countries to struggle against violence against women.

37 countries have signed the Istanbul Convention since it was written in 2011, although in many of them—including the initial signatory country, Turkey—there has been stiff opposition to the on-the-ground implementation of the convention's recommendations. In Poland, the Catholic Church's strong stance against the convention, which calls for resources such as shelters for abused women, has meant that it has long been a topic of political debate in the country.

The Parliament passed the law in February, but President Bronislaw Komorowski only signed it yesterday.

19% of Polish women report being survivors of physical and sexual violence.

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