As I did my periodical google search on news about international abductions today, one of the old and familiar cases popped out. The case of Stephen Watkins of Canada and his two abducted boys, who were illegally detained by corrupt Polish judges with their national socialist mentality that considers every child abducted to their country to be a “Polish” child. Sounds familiar (can you spell P-u-t-i-n)?
According to the article I found today, there are still 240 unresolved cases of international parental child kidnappings in Canada. There are thousands in the USA. Poland after being a signatory to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction since 1995 is still the top offender in international rankings of the implementation of this law.
It is a major problem, but it is only a reflection of a bigger issue that is facing my native Poland.
I keep hammering the basic problem that I have with my native Poland, and its current and previous regimes. The Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, has been tooting his horn as his party celebrates the 10th anniversary of EU membership trying to take credit for all positive changes, and yet refusing to take the blame for its failings; and there are SO MANY of them today.
So many bridges and highways built (but still not paid for), country became more prosperous and family friendly (but for some “unexplained” reason, most of the newborn Polish babies happen to “arrive” abroad), old communist past has been left behind, and yet to this day no former communist regime apparatchiks have been sent to prison for murdering innocent Solidarity workers from Gdańsk Shipyard and other places. It seems that the ONLY people who really succeed and are better off today are the families of corrupt politicians, former communists or their collaborators (have you read the true/revised history of Lech Walesa a.k.a. “Bolek” lately?), and those Poles who decided to leave Poland in last 30+ years; almost 5 million of them.
As I speak to many of young Polish emigrants, a common theme emerges when asked for reasons why they left their homeland: corruption, mistrust toward the justice system, lack of opportunities in (again) corrupt companies, corrupt judges and prosecutors, complete disrespect for the voters, etc… Many of them swore to never return back home. Gosh, how familiar does this “tune” sound?
Many Poles may be better off financially than Ukrainians or Belorussians are today, but if you believe that there is a huge difference in the level of corruptions between these countries and Poland… you would be wrong. Very wrong. Judges who set corrupt politicians free with decisions like ” Mr. X unquestionably was caught taking bribes, but… he can only be judge ethically, not criminally” are common in Poland, even today, and young people have got enough of this mess. They vote with their feet. The new very well educated army of Polish boys and girls and leaving for England, Germany, Sweden, Norway… the USA. In a recent poll, 83% of this year high-school graduates are planning to leave Poland. And what Mr. Donald Tusk has to say about it? He still insists on converting Poland into another “green island” (a reference to Ireland, where million of exported unemployed Poles found refuge).
Not a pretty picture at all. And the future does not seem to paint any better one either. As the rest of EU member states begin to crack down on foreign cheap labor (British UKIP promise of a referendum on leaving the EU all together reflects the national sentiment), the bureaucrats in Warsaw seem to refuse to take any hints. Still marching towards total integration with the EU kolkhoz with no real vision for independent Poland. In such an atmosphere, I do not have high hopes for parents who lose their children to a Polish parent who decides to kidnap yet another child to the land by Vistula river. Time will only tell.
In a meantime, the American officials seem to be OK with the situation. The business of kidnappings continues and the freebies paid by US citizens continue to be sent to Poland. Nobody talks about children, even Democrats remain silent.