Defending women’s rights in the army

By decision of October 31, 2023, No. 120.MON, the Minister of National Defense established

Council for Women’s Military Service as a representative of women soldiers performing professional military service, which is a consultative and advisory body to the Minister of National Defense on matters relating to women’s professional military service.

Moreover, the above-mentioned The decision of the Ministry of National Defense allows women soldiers to select (starting from the brigade level) a non-permanent representative dealing with matters of women’s professional military service, hereinafter referred to as the „Plenipotentiary for Women’s Military Service”.

Council for Women’s Military Service

The term of office of the Council is 5 years and begins on January 1 of the year following its election. The Council consists of women soldiers performing professional military service, selected during electoral meetings from the following structures of the Ministry of National Defense:

1. General Command of the Armed Forces in Warsaw together with subordinate organizational units – 10 members;
2. Operational Command of the Branches of the Armed Forces in Warsaw together with subordinate organizational units – 1 member;
3. Command of the Territorial Defense Forces in Zegrze together with subordinate organizational units – 2 members;
4. Inspectorate of Support for the Armed Forces in Bydgoszcz together with subordinate organizational units – 2 members;
5. Command of the Warsaw Garrison in Warsaw together with subordinate organizational units – 1 member;
6. Military Police Headquarters in Warsaw together with subordinate organizational units – 1 member;
7. Command of the Cyberspace Defense Forces Component in Legionowo together with subordinate organizational units – 1 member;
8. Central Military Recruitment Center in Warsaw together with subordinate organizational units – 2 members;
9. other organizational units – 4 members, in the following groups:
   1. organizational units subordinate to the Minister of National Defense not listed in points 1-8, listed in the announcement of the Minister of National Defense on the list of organizational units subordinate to or supervised by the Minister of National Defense – 1 member,
   2. organizational units supervised by the Minister of National Defense listed in the announcement of the Minister of National Defense on the list of organizational units subordinated to or supervised by the Minister of National Defense – 3 members, including 2 members from military universities, one of whom is a representative of professional soldiers – women professional military service for the duration of education at a military college, and the second is professional soldiers – women holding service positions at a military college;
10. organizational units of the Ministry of National Defense, hereinafter referred to as „organizational units” – 2 members.

The Council consists of the Chairman of the Council, two Vice-Chairmen of the Council and Members of the Council. The Council holds meetings in which, in addition to the Council Members, their Deputies and other persons invited by the Chairman of the Council take part.

The tasks of the Council include:

1. presenting a position to the Minister of National Defense, in the form of resolutions, on matters related to professional military service by women;
2. preparing analyzes commissioned by the Minister of National Defense regarding the performance of professional military service by women soldiers;
3. identifying factors influencing the performance of professional military service by female soldiers;
4. conducting educational activities;
5. permanent cooperation with the Coordinator for Equal Treatment in the Ministry of National Defense in matters related to the performance of professional military service by women soldiers, in particular by organizing joint community meetings, conducting thematic training and educational and information activities;
6. cooperation with organizational units, representative bodies of professional soldiers, non-governmental organizations, state and international institutions and their specialized agencies in the exchange of experiences resulting from professional military service by women soldiers;
7. developing proposals for detailed legal solutions related to professional military service by women soldiers;
8. informing women soldiers about activities undertaken by the Council in the field of matters arising from the performance of professional military service by women soldiers;
9. promoting professional military service of female soldiers;
10. developing documents necessary for its operation;
11. appointing, as needed, auxiliary teams from among its members necessary for its operation.

A candidate for a Member of the Council may be a soldier – a woman who has performed professional military service for not less than 6 years. Candidates for Council Members apply independently in organizational units and units h. Based on their applications, the head of the cell or organizational unit organizes a lower-level election meeting to elect a representative of this cell or organizational unit.

At the election meeting, one candidate for Council Member is elected from among the submitted candidates. The election is made in a secret ballot, by a simple majority of votes, in the presence of at least 1/2 of the professional soldiers – women serving in a given cell or organizational unit. The lower-level electoral meeting must be held by the end of September of the calendar year in which the term of office of the Council ends. If there are no applications from candidates for Member of the Council, the elections will not be held. At military universities, a separate candidate for Council Member is elected from among professional soldiers – women performing professional military service for the duration of their studies at a military university, and a candidate for Council Member from among professional soldiers – women performing full-time professional military service at a military university. In the case of candidates for Members of the Council elected from among professional soldiers – women studying at a military university, the limit on the length of professional military service does not apply.

The duties of the Chairman of the Council include:

1. coordinating the work of the Council and representing it before the Minister of National Defense;
2. convening meetings of the Council, at least once a quarter;
3. chairing Council meetings;
4. development, in consultation with the Director of the Operations Center of the Minister of National Defense, by November 30 of the previous year, of the Council’s Annual Activity Plan for the following year;
5. documenting the work of the Council;
6. preparing and submitting to the Minister of National Defense a report on the activities of the Council by March 30 for the previous year;
7. developing and initiating training and educational projects and departmental programs that raise the level of collective awareness in the area of women’s professional military service;
8. participation in training, conferences, workshops and other forms of exchange of experience at national and international forums in the field of professional military service of women;
9. permanent cooperation with the Coordinator for Equal Treatment in the Ministry of National Defense in the scope of tasks specified in § 7 point 5 and the Chairman of the Presidium of Representative Bodies of Professional Soldiers in the scope of tasks performed by the Council;
10. representing professional soldiers – women before the Minister of National Defense, other public authorities and non-governmental organizations;
11. assessing the status of compliance with the rights of professional soldiers – women;
12. analysis and collection of data on the situation of professional soldiers – women in the service environment;
13. giving opinions on draft legal acts regarding women’s professional military service;
14. cooperation with state and international institutions and their specialized agencies in the exchange of experiences resulting from professional military service by women;
15. dissemination and coordination in the Ministry of National Defense of tasks resulting from national and international regulations regarding women’s professional military service;
16. promotional activities for women’s professional military service.

The tasks of Council Members include:

1. participation in Council meetings;
2. organization, after obtaining the consent of the relevant head of the organizational unit, in cooperation with the Plenipotentiaries referred to in § 27, of community meetings with soldiers – women performing professional military service;
3. collecting, archiving, updating and sending, via official means, to the Chairman of the Council, collective data of the Proxies referred to in § 27 from substantively supervised organizational units;
4. substantive supervision over the assigned Representatives referred to in § 27;
5. conducting training for the Plenipotentiaries referred to in § 27 in the field of women’s professional military service;
6. providing information about the work of the Council, including the reviewed documents affecting the service of professional soldiers – women;
7. work in the established auxiliary teams referred to in § 7 point 11, or in the team referred to in § 36;
8. collecting from the Plenipotentiaries referred to in § 27 information regarding the professional military service of women and the reports referred to in § 33, and sending them via official means in a collective report by August 15 for the first half of the year and by February 15, respectively for the second half of the previous year to the Chairman of the Council;
9. sending a report on work for the Council for the previous year to the Chairperson of the Council by the end of February;
10. work and participation in promotional events organized by the Council;
11. promotional activities for women’s professional military service.

Plenipotentiary for Women’s Military Service

The elections for the Plenipotentiary for Women’s Military Service are held from among professional soldiers – women of organizational units and subordinates. A candidate for the Plenipotentiary for Women’s Military Service may be a soldier – a woman performing professional military service for not less than 5 years, who performs professional military service in the organizational unit where the electoral meeting is organized or in a subordinate unit. The Plenipotentiary for Women’s Military Service is elected during an election meeting convened by the head of the organizational unit at the request of at least three professional soldiers – women entitled to participate in this meeting. The election is made by a simple majority of votes.

The tasks of the Plenipotentiary for Women’s Military Service include:

1. initiating projects related to the organization of community meetings with professional soldiers – women in the organizational unit and chairing them – community meetings are organized after obtaining the consent of the head of the organizational unit in which the Plenipotentiary for Women’s Military Service serves;
2. defending the rights of women soldiers performing professional military service and representing their interests before their superiors;
3. ongoing monitoring of the situation of professional women soldiers, preparing information and semi-annual reports on women’s professional military service;
4. informing women soldiers in the organizational unit about activities undertaken in the Ministry of National Defense regarding women’s professional military service;
5. participation in training for Plenipotentiaries for Women’s Military Service;
6. preparing a note from each community meeting and, after reading it by the head of the organizational unit in which the Plenipotentiary for Women’s Military Service serves, sending it via official means to the supervising Council Member;
7. participation in promotional events organized by the Council;
8. promotional activities for women’s professional military service.