Femicides in Austria: crime scene relationship

In Austria, more women than men are murdered – mostly by partners or relatives. Aid initiatives attribute the fact that they do not find protection in time to law enforcement and politics. They are not aware of any guilt.

Austria has recorded 21 murders and 38 attempted murders of women since the beginning of the year – and, according to data from the EU statistical agency Eurostat, is one of the countries in which more women than men are victims of violent crimes. Characteristic for the offense of femicide: The perpetrators are often already recorded by the police and are in a relationship or family relationship with the women to whom they do violence.

It was the same in the case of Hanife Ada. She is one of the few women who openly speaks to the media about her traumatic experiences eleven years ago: After a decades-long marriage full of violence and sexual abuse, her husband attacked her, she says. Seriously injured, she was left lying in a pool of blood. Ada was found by her children, taken to the hospital, and survived. The perpetrator was never convicted. Even though Hanife Ada claims to have unequivocally recognized her husband as the perpetrator, he was acquitted for lack of evidence.

Proceedings are quickly closed

Not uncommon in Austria: eight out of ten advertisements are placed, and just twelve percent of those reported are indicted and convicted, says Maria Rösslhumer. She is the managing director of the Association of Autonomous Women’s Shelters in Austria and the head of the women’s helpline. Rösslhumer has been working in victim protection for more than two decades. She clearly sees a reason for the high number of femicide cases: “We have basically good laws and measures in Austria, but they are not being implemented. We notice this, especially in connection with the state authorities, that women are not taken seriously and in their own right Situation cannot be adequately supported. “

Rösslhumer criticizes that there is often testimony against testimony in court and the case is closed instead of collecting more evidence and hearing more witnesses.

Lack of cooperation with victim protection associations

She also attributes responsibility to politics: Under the first government coalition between Sebastian Kurz’s ÖVP and the right-wing populist FPÖ in 2018, the cooperation between the government and victim protection suffered significantly. Victim protection associations were not involved in the development of the last package of measures against violence against women.

The Austrian Ministry of Family and Women’s Affairs contradicts: There are regular exchanges and networking meetings, and victim protection institutions are also at the table at an upcoming second violence protection summit, according to the answer to one ARD-Inquiry. Rösslhumer says she has not yet received an invitation.

The ministry has promised almost 25 million euros for its package of measures. The first funds should flow in early October, including to advice centers. Family Minister Susanne Raab sees it as the “largest violence protection offensive in decades” – far too little, says Rösslhumer. Women’s protection associations demand 230 million euros and criticize: The investments flow primarily into work with perpetrators – at the expense of victim protection.

Offender counseling instead of victim protection

Since September there has been a “compulsory counseling for perpetrators” in Austria: If the police have imposed a ban on entering and approaching a man, he has to complete six hours of preventive counseling. According to the ministry, more than 1,000 such consultations have already taken place.

Rösslhumer doubts that perpetrators will learn in this short consultation time to take responsibility for their actions: the program is not designed to be sustainable, and victim protection associations were not involved in the development of this concept by politicians. Instead of lulling women into a false sense of security, victim protection associations advocate longer-term anti-violence training and comprehensive risk prognoses for perpetrators and threats, about which the women concerned are also questioned intensively and regularly.

Violence prevention through community involvement

Since 2019, the Association of Autonomous Austrian Women’s Shelters has been establishing a new approach to violence prevention: its StoP initiative, “City districts without partner violence”, includes the surrounding area. In discussion groups, for example, neighbors are trained to become aware of signs of violence in the apartment building or in the neighborhood – and to interrupt violent situations, for example by knocking on the door and asking for something harmless like a cup of sugar, explains Rösslhumer. In this way, neighbors can stop an escalation and make the perpetrator aware that they are aware of what is going on.

StoP has already been expanded to 13 locations in Austria. It is currently financed primarily by the Ministry of Social Affairs, which is headed by the Greens, the current coalition partners of the ÖVP. The ÖVP-led Ministry for Women and Family Ministry has not yet supported the program, but writes in a press release of its own initiative that “promotes cooperation with civil society” – nothing is known about the specific initiatives involved.

Private organizations against the spiral of violence

After surviving femicide, Hanife Ada has taken help for women into her own hands. With her association “Help me sister” she collects funds, mainly through flea market sales, to help affected women to free themselves from the spiral of violence. Often enough she noticed that the police had not reacted sufficiently. She provides emergency aid with her association and has helped more than 600 women – cases in which the police have not done enough.

In addition to her association, Hanife Ada is also involved in a StoP project in her neighborhood, of which she is convinced: “It is not private what happens in the neighborhood. It is not private as soon as you hear a person screaming whether a Child or woman. “