How do you protect yourself?

“Men know where to hit a woman”

Almost all of the perpetrators are men and also Austrian.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com - VadimGuzhva)

Every murder of a woman is one too many - there have already been 26 femicides in Austria this year. They were all victims of partner violence. But who are the perpetrators? And how can you protect yourself and others from being a victim?

"It's not women who should pay attention to how to make the world safer for them, we should focus more on the perpetrators," says Martina Gabriel, Head of the Carinthian Department for Women and Gender Equality. Under the UN campaign "Orange the World", buildings will be lit up in bright orange between November 25 and December 10 to draw attention to violence against women. In Carinthia, the Women's Department is organizing numerous events as part of the "16 Days against Violence against Women and Girls".

"Because domestic violence is not a private matter," says Margot Moser-Lechner from the Carinthian Violence Protection Center, which has already advised 1235 victims this year and was involved in 833 expulsions of perpetrators of violence: "Everyone should look and help. Many victims are still afraid to admit what is happening at home behind the façade of a perfect world."