Poor legal situation

Child removals are often arbitrary actions by the state

Young mothers can quickly find themselves in need and are particularly affected by child abduction.

(Bild: Horst Einöder/Flashpictures)

Youth welfare offices that are far too powerful, violations of the law, traumatized children, helpless parents - state interventions in families are fraught with many deficits in legal protection. Lawyer Barbara Beclin from the University of Vienna has carried out an analysis of the situation in Austria as part of a European project. The "Krone" spoke to her.

The lawyer takes a very critical view of the legal situation. For her, the arbitrary right of the youth welfare offices to intervene in the custody of parents is "legally questionable". There is no direct judicial control of these immediate measures. "The current legal remedies following child removals have serious legal protection deficits", says Beclin. In practice, the division of tasks between courts and youth welfare offices is such that, contrary to what is actually intended, "the youth welfare offices are the masters of the driving". The "Krone" reported on two questionable child removals.