Autonomous women’s shelters: Austria “land of femicide”
At a press conference on Friday, several women’s organizations criticized “authority failures” in protecting women and children from violence. A lack of political will and the failure to admit “that we have a problem with male violence in Austria” mean that every third woman in Austria is now affected by violence, said Klaudia Frieben, chairwoman of the Austrian Women’s Ring. She calls for more money, staff and awareness-raising.
It needs “women’s politics”
In order to guarantee the right to a life free of violence for women, the Istanbul Convention, the current legal instrument against violence against women in Europe, should finally be implemented, stressed Frieben. Austria has ratified this, but does not implement the duty of care in victim protection. This requires 250 million euros annually and 3,000 additional full-time employees in violence prevention work. Frieben also called for a “genuine pension reform, instead of just cosmetics in the form of automatic pension splitting”, financial and social recognition of care work and a “serious fight against inflation”, which affects women more than men. “We need a women’s policy that protects and supports women.”
country of femicides
“Europe sees Austria as a country of femicides,” emphasized Maria Rösslhumer, Managing Director of the Association of Autonomous Austrian Women’s Shelters. In 2022 there were 28 murders of women, with most of the perpetrators being the partner or someone close to the woman. Again and again, the perpetrators are already known to the police, but nothing is done.
against 50 year old Poland For example, who is said to have killed two people last week, his partner had filed a complaint for assault a few days before the murders. “But there was no entry ban and he was not taken into custody,” says Rösslhumer. Instead of analyzing one’s own failure, racism is fueled. “But violence against women is not a problem for foreigners, it’s a problem for men,” she emphasized.
Measures that are generally praiseworthy would often fail to be implemented, said Rösslhumer. Whether or not a woman is helped often depends on the goodwill of an individual officer. Many women who die calling the women’s helpline would refuse a call to the police because of a history of being looked down upon or not taken seriously. In addition, many are afraid of the police because they are not sure whether there is really a ban on entry against the man or whether they themselves might even be expelled.
Violence prevention subpoenas tripled
According to preliminary data, the number of bans on entering and approaching violent criminals rose to around 14,600 in 2022 as a whole. The APA learned this on request from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BK). In the previous year, a total of 13,690 evictions had been issued, i.e. around 900 fewer. In 2020 there were 11,651 entry and approach bans. In the previous year, by the end of November, more than 10,000 people who were at risk were summoned to prevent violence and almost 170 security police case conferences were held. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) reported in December that this was a threefold increase. Year-round figures were not yet available here at the BK.
Praise for Ministry of Social Affairs
There was some praise from Rösslhumer for the Ministry of Social Affairs. This is “seriously trying to finance proper protection against violence”. But there needs to be better cooperation in financing and more commitment from the Ministry of Family Affairs or the Ministry of Education, for example.
In order for work in women’s shelters to be guaranteed, at least 140 more jobs are needed and for each facility at least 10 affordable apartments for those affected by violence. In addition, Rösslhumer called for joint and ongoing training for all professional groups who work with women and children affected by violence.
There is also a need for more support for single mothers. Currently, only about half of all children of single parents receive child support from their fathers, criticized Andrea Czak, chairwoman of the Feminist Single Parents Association (FEM.A). The average maintenance paid by fathers was 304 euros per month, but the child costs were 900. It was time for the maintenance guarantee that had already been announced, emphasized Czak and asked the Minister for Family Affairs and Women, Susanne Raab (ÖVP): “Poor children are the result of bad family policies”.
Contact points in case of violence:
– Women’s helpline: 0800/222 555
– 24-hour women’s emergency number of the City of Vienna: 01/71719
– Women’s shelter emergency number: 05 77 22
– Counseling for men in Vienna: 01/603 28 28
– Wired advice – help for children & young people: 147
– In case of acute violence: police emergency number: 133