A delegation of the Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) carried out an evaluation visit to Poland on 6-10 June 2022 as part of the third evaluation round of the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. The focus of this evaluation round of the Convention is on trafficking victims’ access to justice and effective remedies. Prior to the visit, the Polish authorities provided a reply to GRETA’s questionnaire for the third evaluation round. In addition to the new thematic focus, GRETA verified how the main recommendations made in its second evaluation report have been implemented.
During the visit, the GRETA delegation held consultations with Mr Bartosz Grodecki, Under-Secretary of State in the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, as well as officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, the Police Headquarters, the Border Guards Headquarters, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Family and Social Policy, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Prosecutor’s Office, the National Labour Inspectorate, and a district court judge. Further, the GRETA delegation met representatives of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights.
In the course of the visit, the representatives of GRETA travelled to Rzeszów where they held a meeting with Ms Ewa Leinart, voivode, and the regional anti-trafficking team, as well as visiting the reception centre for persons fleeing the war in Ukraine and the border crossing point in Medyka.
The GRETA delegation held separate meetings with members of non-governmental organisations, a trade union and an employers’ organisation, as well as lawyers and researchers. It also met representatives of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX).
The visit provided an opportunity to visit a shelter for female victims of trafficking and a safe house for male and female victims, run by a non-governmental organisation.
The visit was carried out by Ms Julia Planitzer, Second Vice President of GRETA, Ms Conny Rijkens and Mr Aurelijus Gutauskas, members of GRETA, who were accompanied by Ms Petya Nestorova, Executive Secretary of the Convention, and Ms Parvine Ghadami of the Secretariat of the Convention.
Following the visit, GRETA will prepare a draft report, which will be sent to the Polish authorities for comments. GRETA will subsequently adopt a final report which will be published in 2023.
