Authorities help

Many victims of violence are unaware of women’s shelters

From left: AÖF Managing Director Maja Markanovic-Riedl and Managing Director of wendepunkt Elisabeth Cinatl

(Bild: APA/Max Slovencik)

571 women and 577 children found refuge in the autonomous women's shelters last year. However, there are still victims who do not even know about the facility. Many are made aware of them by authorities such as the social welfare office, said the association Autonome Österreichische Frauenhäuser (AÖF).

"Recognizing and naming violence is a process," said Maja Markanović-Riedl, Managing Director of the Autonomous Austrian Women's Shelters (AÖF), at a press conference on Wednesday. "Violence doesn't mean that I meet someone and they hit me the next day. It starts very slowly and insidiously. And it also begins to change women's perceptions."

Violence against women often occurs in the "home", said Doris Schmidauer, who has been drawing attention to this issue for years. "(...) Unfortunately, for far too many women in Austria, their own home is not a place of warmth and safety." The closed room is a "place of constant danger" for those affected by violence. So far this year, 27 women have been murdered across Austria, in addition to 39 attempted murders or serious violence against women.

Doris Schmidauer

(Bild: APA/Max Slovencik)

Perpetrators have often experienced violence themselves
"Each of these perpetrators was once a little boy and each of these women, today's victims, was once a little girl," said Schmidauer. Many of them had already experienced violence in their own childhood. Society has an obligation not to leave these children behind and to turn its attention to them. That is why it is important to invest in facilities such as women's shelters and women's and girls' advice centers.

In women's shelters, victims can stay indefinitely, and the staff offer not only acute care, but also support when moving out into a new life and aftercare. Counseling centers are also in contact with relatives who are worried and ask what they can do.

Support facilities for victims

• Women's refuge emergency number: 05 77 22
• 24-hour women's emergency hotline Vienna: 01 71719
• White Ring victim support: 017121405
• Men's counseling service Vienna: 01 603 28 28

It is still "extremely difficult and shameful" to talk about violence, said Markanović-Riedl. "Who wants to say that they are living in a violent relationship?" However, awareness among the population has increased in recent years, said Elisabeth Cinatl, Chairwoman of the Network of Austrian Women's and Girls' Counseling Centers.

"Don't cut back on protection against violence," the speakers at Wednesday's press conference appealed to the new government. According to Statistics Austria, every third woman between the ages of 18 and 74 has experienced physical and/or sexual violence at least once in her life. 16.41 percent have been affected by physical and/or sexual violence in an intimate relationship at least once. The proportion is significantly higher (36.92 percent) for psychological violence such as threats, insults and stalking.