The 15th POLISH WOMEN’S CONGRESS was a wonderful and fruitful time spent among amazing experts. In a panel led by Patrycja Kasica, panellists Izabela Trybus and Aleksandra Nędzi-Marek from PCTS, Danuta Wawrowska and Anita Kucharska Dziedzic discussed the trauma of wartime rape, reparations, the punishment of war criminals and the revision of the definition of rape in the Polish Criminal Code. Only YES means consent! – is the key change in the definition alongside the shift in the classification of the act from a misdemeanour to a felony. Understanding the trauma of rape, particularly war rape, is crucial to transform our nation’s mentality and to provide proper support to survivors. Interdisciplinary cooperation between psychotherapists, lawyers, medics and social activists is essential in this respect.
