The most discriminated group in Polish society are handicapped people, with homosexuals and ethnic minorities taking the next places, shows a GfK poll.

For the occasion of International Human Rights Day, the daily Rzeczpospolita publishes information on who, in Polish society, is the most discriminated against with 70 percent of respondents choosing disabled people.

“Violations of human rights of disabled people still occur often. Access to education is difficult, disabled people are treated as second-class employees by employers and it is difficult to take part in elections or even get into government buildings,” says Piotr Pawlowski of the Friends of Integration Society.

 Poles claim that homosexuals and ethnic minorities are also discriminated against, with 62 percent and 51 percent of respondents respectively choosing those categories. Jewish people and Muslims also were noted as being victims of discrimination.

“Our events have highlighted the problems of gay Poles,” says Tomasz Szypula, deputy head of the Campaign Against Homophobia, adding that they will continue to work to eliminate discrimination against homosexuals, especially in the workplace.

When asked which country in the world most violates human rights, Poles mostly cited China (19 percent), North Korea (16%), and Russia (13 percent).

GfK Polonia ran the survey on Wednesday over a random sampling of 500 people. (mmj)

PAP