Women?s Rights Centre was founded in 1993/1994 with the financial support of The German Marshall Fund of the United States. The Foundation started its work in January 1995 and its first main goal was to initiate legislative changes to improve women?s situation and guarantee gender equality in Poland. Later on the Foundation started focusing also on the society and providing legal and psychological services to discrimination victims.
Our actions are supported by other institutions, such as Stefan Batory Foundation, The Ford Foundation, Open Society Institute, and Levi Strauss Foundation. We realised projects with multiple partners, including Warsaw and Masovian Voivodeship Employers Union or Prison for Women in Lubliniec, Poland. Women?s Rights Centre, as the only one in Poland, took part in European Commission?s Daphne Funding Programme.
For over 20 years, the Foundation was taking variety of innovative actions on both national and international level, including working in Polish Parliament, Council of Europe, and European Parliament. We are founders and active members of other international organizations, most importantly Women Against Violence Europe. We worked with OSCE, European Women?s Lobby, Women, Law and Development International, Network of East West Women, and many other organizations focused on women?s rights. The national level cooperation includes working with Federation for Women and Family Planning, The National Women’s Information Centre OŚKA, or The Feminist Initiative.
We organized countless conferences, campaigns and workshops promoting women?s rights. Yet, the main activity of our Foundation has always been providing legal, social and practical support for women looking for help in Women?s Right Centre.