For quite some time now I have realized that the problem of poor compliance by the Polish judicial branch is caused mainly by the fact that the Polish judges and attorneys do not understand and do not know the law of The Hague Convention Treaty. I could not figure out however, how to make a dent in fixing this problem.
Most of the family law attorneys and judges do not speak English and do not have an access to the internet (which we take for granted these days in America) to study the subject. Most of the Hague cases are treated as regular custody cases. It was obvious during my almost 3-year legal battle in Gdansk. Other left-behind parents and the U.S. State Department also confirmed this discovery.
In order to change the situation few things need to happen but one of the crucial ones, which should bring short and long-term benefits for the future would-be victims, (and we will have them in larger numbers) is the most important one – educational campaign in Polish universities and mass media. There is a need to educate the next generation of lawyers, prosecutors and judges on the subject of international abductions by parents. I think, that we could be quite successful in organizing a series of lectures on the campuses of main universities in Poland about the international parental abductions and International Treaties, Poland’s international obligations and effects of PAS on kidnapped children.
I think, that we have enough contacts in Poland to organize such a campaign. We can use Polish TV/ Radio stations to publicize the events and provide sponsorship. We can also work with other organizations here in U.S. and Poland to help us organize these events. We could also try to push individual schools to teach courses on the legal aspects of the international abductions. These courses could also be opened to any currently practicing attorneys and judges in Poland.
Currently in Poland there are almost 8,000 judges, Any of them can possibly be involved in a case, which requires the knowledge of the Hague Convention and other international treaties. Due to its poor economic situation Poland can only train 100 judges a year – I think you can see the real problem. More innovative ways of heading off this problem need to be developed. We need to thing outside the box.
Enforcement of the Hague Convention court orders in Poland is another subject of my main concern – as you see from a previously publish articles, it simply does not exist – the victimized parents are on they own.
Please give me some feedback on this idea.
Bogdan