Inès Roy-Lewanowicz, volunteer at the Association in Defense of Democracy in Poland and the International Council of Polish Women
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We discuss her role in raising awareness in the international Polish community, around recent legislative changes to Polish abortion law, why the legislation has been so controversial and why there is hope for change.
Three key takeaways:
Solidarity between different organisations can promote women’s rights
Social media brings activists together
Passion and perseverance are key to effecting change
CV in Brief
Education:
- MA in Communications
- BA in Political Science and
Career so far:
- Co-founder of L'Équipière online media platform
- Writer at french football magazine, So Foot
- Employee of the Paris Feminine Football Club
- Communications member of the Local Organisation Committee of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup
Languages: Polish, French, English, Spanish
Social Media:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ines-roy-lewanowicz/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InesRoyLew
Date of Interview: May, 2021
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY: LARA BRETT
Can you give me an insight into the work your organisations do around abortion in Poland?
I am a member of two organisations, the Association in Defense of Democracy in Poland (ADDP) and the International Council of Polish Women. The first one was founded in 2016, mostly by Poles living in France, to fight against the danger of PiS [the Law and Justice part] policies for Polish democracy. It raises awareness amongst the public and French politicians about the situation in Poland, through organising conferences and protests. We host film screenings and organize events to promote the Polish culture. We want to show that not everything is “bad and sad”, as is being transmitted in the international media. Cultural actions are very important, to show another side to Poland and to show that it can be a progressive society. Through networking I have also realised that the topic of abortion is universal. The common point with the Council is that we are women and want to defend our rights: we care about what happens at home. If we ever go back to Poland, we want to live our lives as we please. The ADDP’s network was mostly created through social media when discussing the 2016 demonstrations. At one point, the Council had 80 women on different Zoom calls! We then realised the need for structured engagement and for concrete ideas. That’s partially how the International Council of Polish Women came about.
On Sunday 13 December 2020, there was an international march for abortion in Poland. This took place across a number of countries. France, Germany, Great Britain and the USA were a big part of it, with marches held in different cities, but there were also events in other countries such as Spain, Switzerland, Canada and Greece. Due to the lockdown, some events happened online, and there was an online campaign where individuals from around the world could share a selfie with the official poster in social media. This led to the establishment of the International Council of Polish Women at the start of 2021.
There are around 40 of us in the Council - all women and non-binary people. Officially 12 organisations compose the Council, however several of us are simultaneously a part of other organisations external to the Council, but often work together or share each other's events. You can find the organisations on our website. We are all volunteers and we all work on different tasks. For example, I am part of the social media and PR groups. Everyone is encouraged to be proactive and may choose to write for our blog, represent the Council in meetings or organise your monthly conferences, which are available on our YouTube channel and social media accounts. We all take charge of organising events in our own countries.
Because of the pandemic, we had no choice other than to connect virtually and have been using the internet to mobilise. If something positive came out of this pandemic, it’s the great feeling of solidarity. Although we are from different generations, have different jobs and levels of education, we still want the same thing. This has led to us becoming friends outside of the organisation, too.
Why are women’s rights in Poland under threat?
Human rights is an important topic for the Law and Justice Party (PiS). It wants to defend the idea of a family being a mother, a father and several children. This idea encompasses how the party perceives Poland and how it perceives the world. In other words, women’s rights symbolise how society should work, and women’s role in a society, in PiS’ opinion. Similarly, this is why the group attacks the LGBT community - because they challenge their world perceptions. In my view, Polish society is fractured between traditionalists versus progressives. There is a generational gap. Poland has changed so much in the last 30 years, responding to historical, political and economic developments; from the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the USSR in 1989, to Polish independence and a rapid transition towards democracy. This included Poland joining the EU in 2004. This change is scary for some people. My generation has not experienced Communism, all it has ever known is Poland being part of the EU. This isn’t the case for our parents and grandparents. So many changes happened so fast. In my view, these changes were necessary, but there should have been better management at the highest levels of leadership, of this process, to explain these changes and prevent social division and uncertainty.
For those of us who aren’t familiar with Polish politics, please can you describe the recent changes to Polish abortion law and why they have come about?
In 2015, Andrzej Duda became the President. He is the head of the PiS party, a right-wing conservative Catholic party. For years, it has been one of Poland’s main parties and after it won the 2015 elections one of the first things on its political agenda was women’s rights. Until October 2020, abortion in Poland had been illegal, with certain exceptions. These were instances of rape, incest, where the pregnancy would endanger the life of the mother or in the case of foetal abnormalities. Polish society is still quite conservative and religious, especially in the countryside. This may result in peer pressure for women not to undergo abortions. In 2016, the PiS party had wanted to criminalise abortion completely, with no exceptions. It wanted to use gynaecologists and doctors as a way “to spy on pregnant women”. After considerable protests, the law failed to pass, but the party tried again. In October 2020, it passed a new abortion law through the Constitutional Tribunal, which is the highest judicial authority in the country.
A few years ago, the age of retirement for judges changed, which enabled the Polish Government to get rid of opposing judges and bring allies into the courts. In 2020, the Tribunal ruled that abortion for foetal abnormalities is unconstitutional. Demonstrations against this decision lasted for months. Now, feminist movements continue to oppose the ruling. In the past few months, there have been continued in-person demonstrations, but activists have also turned to the internet. For instance, they organise conferences, post adverts and share each other’s initiatives. Activists also lobby politicians, help women who want to undergo abortions by mobilising themselves and other women. Overall, there’s a lot of solidarity between different organisations.
Why was it important for you to raise awareness of this issue?
I consider myself a feminist, and I’m also a humanist. Abortion is a universal topic. It represents how a society works, how it thinks and how progressive it is. I wanted to lead efforts to support the societal changes taking place. There are thousands and thousands of people that are progressive and want the situation to change. Growing up, I heard numerous stories about women struggling to undergo abortions and ending up in horrible situations, because they couldn’t afford it or because it was illegal. Today, it’s still such a hot topic and people are still so divided about it. By talking about it openly, I hope to make people think a bit more. I want to use my activism to understand how these two differing perceptions can somehow live together. Although there are things we will never agree on, I hope there is a ground where we can meet. People certainly have the right not to have abortions, but their views shouldn’t impact access to abortions for women who do need them.
Under EU law, abortion is a competence of each Member State. Although the EU cannot block the recent changes to Poland’s abortion law, what more could it do to support Polish women?
That’s a really good question! The issue of abortion shows the limits of the European Union. Member States don’t want to give the EU too much power, leaving the EU highly dependent on national politicians. Other Member States are also reluctant to ‘rock the boat’ when it comes to abortion.
The EU Parliament is perhaps the Union’s most independent institution [it is the only EU institution to have members directly elected by the public], but overall the EU can’t do much.
One possible solution could be to make abortion rights an EU competence. Activists are already lobbying for this change, but it’s complicated.
Do you think your work may be able to influence lawmakers in Poland?
Not the ones who are currently in government, no. The Church still has a lot of power, but Poland is also a country with a lot of progressive people. It is incredibly important to keep lobbying politicians, to show them that people in Poland want to defend their rights.
Can you tell us a bit about your day job and whether there is much crossover between that and your volunteer work?
I am the communications manager at Paris Féminin FC, which is my main role. I also work as a journalist for L'Équipière, an independent media organisation about women’s football. Working remotely helps me to effectively juggle my different roles and keep on top of my schedule. Journalism and activism can both be unpredictable and may require several hours or days of intense work at the last minute. That's why I'm really lucky to be able to manage my work schedule freely and prioritise urgent tasks as and when they come up.
What are the biggest challenges you face in your volunteer work? How do you overcome them?
The biggest challenge is finding a balance between my volunteer work and my day work. I keep motivated by remembering that my day to day work should always be the priority. Also, both are related so I try to link them when it is possible.
What advice would you give to young women hoping to work in similar fields to you?
I am a firm believer that you are going be alright as long as you have passion. But stay focused, and never forget what the priority is, so you don't get carried away and neglect any of your roles.
