No end to violence

Every second case of abuse in the country goes unrecognized!

Domestic violence often goes undetected - but attacks on women continue unabated.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/Louis-Photo - stock.adobe.com)

Violent crimes within the family are often covered up. The number of expulsions & co. is declining, the number of unreported crimes is high - even expert witness legend Christian Reiter fears many undetected acts of violence. A new center offers help for victims.

The figures are dramatic. In Austria, one in three women is a victim of physical and/or sexual violence. Much of this takes place within their own four walls, where women should feel safest. Politicians have taken a number of measures. These include the extended ban on entering and approaching, which entails an automatic ban on weapons, and mandatory counseling for perpetrators of violence.

On average, 40 no-entry orders are issued every day. Prevention staff in the police force has also been increased. Victims are often ashamed to accept help, however, and refer to medical checks as an "accident".

New violence outpatient clinics to provide help
On Wednesday, a new outpatient clinic for victims of violence was opened at Vienna's MedUni, a first point of contact for those affected. "The examination center plays a central role in supporting victims of violence and offers everyone access to its services free of charge and without barriers," says Nikolaus Klupp, forensic pathologist and head of the center.

This facility also raises awareness of the concerns of victims of violence within the medical profession.

Markus Müller, Rektor der MedUni Wien

Bild: Urbantschitsch Mario/Mario Urbantschitsch

In addition to the documentation of injuries and the securing of traces on the body and clothing, patients receive comprehensive information on further support services, such as referral to victim protection facilities, psychological support or legal advice. Doctors also have access to specialist telephone advice on clinical forensic issues. In cases where no charges are brought, the evidence collected is stored for up to ten years so that it can be used in criminal proceedings if necessary. Up to 1000 patients per year are expected!

Focus on traces of violence: the first violence outpatient clinics have already opened in Graz and Innsbruck ...

(Bild: © Helmut Lunghammer)

... now the federal capital is following suit. Klupp and doctor Katharina Stolz are on duty here.

(Bild: Urbantschitsch Mario/Mario Urbantschitsch)

Domestic violence and murders of women on the decline
According to the Federal Criminal Police Office, there was no end to violence to celebrate last year either. What they did achieve, however, was a fall in the figures. Although some of these are still being recorded, there was already a significant reduction in the 14,500 or so bans on entering and approaching in 2024 compared to previous years. In 2024, there were also 20 murders of women related to violence in the private sphere - 24 if you include a victim who was only eight days old as well as five, eight and 13-year-old victims in the blood toll.

Incidentally, the bloodiest day of the past twelve months was February 23. On this Friday, a 51-year-old woman and her 13-year-old daughter were discovered dead in an apartment in Vienna's Landstraße district and later three women were found stabbed to death in an Asian studio in the 20th district. The perpetrators were caught in both cases, but the fact remains: The number of unreported violent crimes against women and children remains high. Almost not a day goes by without a report having to be made.

Gerichtsmediziner Christian Reiter:

Den Tätern hilft Sparstift bei der Gerichtsmedizin

University professor Christian Reiter has spent decades helping to solve the most spectacular criminal cases in the country and has trained legions of forensic experts. He considers Vienna's new outpatient clinic for victims of violence to be a "very important facility", but only the "second-best solution". For him, the best solution would be if forensic medicine were once again equipped with sufficient money and staff.

In the past, for example, Vienna's forensic medicine department - with a much smaller population - had 16 doctors, but today it only has three, he points out. Reiter does not want to rule out the possibility that "only half of the cases that should be brought to court are brought to court" - because there are too few specialists who can prove or even discover acts of violence.

Apart from saving on personnel, Reiter also believes it is fundamentally wrong that forensic medicine has not been a compulsory subject in medical studies for around 20 years: "These are now senior physicians who have no longer been trained in this area." This makes the violence protection outpatient clinic in Vienna all the more important.

Christian Reiter hopes that the new outpatient clinic will raise "awareness of the problem" among doctors again and that more perpetrators can be stopped.

(Bild: picturedesk.com/Isabelle Ouvrard / SEPA.Media / picturedesk.com)

A stabbing should not become a cut in the files
In Reiter's view, the outpatient clinic is not just a service for victims of violence, but also for the doctors who are the first to treat these victims. Young doctors often have "no awareness of the problem" when it comes to documenting injuries for possible legal proceedings: "They may not care at all whether they document a 'stab' or a 'cut'. In court, however, this may be decisive." With the new outpatient clinic, however, there is now "telemedical" help for colleagues from trained forensic doctors.

Reiter is convinced that the offer of collegial help will be gladly accepted. "It gives every doctor a better feeling when they know they're doing it right." And perhaps the offer could even compensate for gaps in training: "If he calls 20 times and receives appropriate support, then by the 21st time he already knows how to document injuries himself."

However, Reiter emphasizes that victims should first and foremost be concerned with their well-being and only then with justice: "If you're bleeding left and right, then make sure you get to the nearest hospital!"