This study assesses the extent to which Polish law provides victims of human rights abuses involving corporate entities with remedies.
Access to legal remedies and justice has become a crucial element in today’s work of protecting human rights in the context of business activities. It is also an area of primary importance for judges and lawyers who work promoting the rule of law and human rights. This study assesses the extent to which Polish law provides victims of human rights abuses involving corporate entities with remedies. Criminal prosecution and civil remedies are important legal tools that can be used to redress human rights violations committed by companies. At the same time, there are numerous legal and practical obstacles, which can render the process of pursuing justice difficult and/or ineffective. Disputes between individuals and/or groups and corporations share common barriers regarding access to justice. The realisation of the procedural principle of “equality of arms” is one such example: the frequent disparity of arms is aggravated when the victim (claimant) lacks high-quality legal advice and has limited resources, both in regards to time and money, whilst the defendant is a powerful corporate entity.
Poland-Publications-HR Abuses involving corporations-Access to Justice-2010-ENG (full text in PDF)