www.opiekabezagresji.pl – monitoring acts of violence in care institutions

What problem are you solving?:

Violence of carers in care institutions is a common but rather unknown problem in Poland. We know about it from many media reports and our constant contact with care institutions (nursing homes, old peoples’ homes, insane homes, orphanages etc.). It also results from human nature and mechanisms of arising of violence.
Polish society is not aware of this problem. Despite the law, care institutions are mostly closed and isolated so not many people can come inside and observe what is going on there. Shocking media reports (beating old men, humbling mentally handicapped, insulting children etc.) seem to be just incidents for most of people.
Authorities, obliged to supervise care institutions, are not reliable enough to ensure prevention and fighting with acts of violence because they rarely know about them and want to reveal them.
There is no Polish website which would enable a social supervision of care institutions.

Describe your idea:

WWW.OPIEKABEZAGRESJI.PL (carewithoutviolence) will be a website where it will be able to:
-report acts of violence in care institutions on-line
-monitor the reaction for the notification (we would pass the case to authorities and follow the reaction)
-add/check an opinion of a specific care institution
-check how a specific institution is prepared to prevent aggression
-find information about the idea of care without violence
The website would be intended for: people who work in care institutions, residents of the institutions and their families, people who where witnesses of any abnormalities, authorities, journalists etc.
Our aim is to rise awareness of the problem of violence in public care institutions, enable society reporting such cases and monitor authorities’ reaction. The website would also put pressure on care institutions in order to make them comply with human rights.
Constructing the website, we are planning to use all the benefits of an Internet platform.

What country will this operate in?: Poland

Who are you?:

ORATOR Foundation is an NGO set up in 1991. We deal with many social problems. Currently, one of our main domains is the idea of care without violence in total care institutions. We have a many-years experience in the field of functioning of nursing homes, orphanages, senior homes etc. and we deeply know their strong and weak points. 2 years ago we set up a Partnership “Care Without Aggression” which spreads the idea of care without violence by organising conferences, trainings and other social actions.
I am a member of the board of Foundation and its Office Manager as well. I am also responsible for an international cooperation.