Violence against women: Court of Auditors calls for sustainable, effective measures

2023-08-25 09:04:24

The RH auditors recommend setting up violent outpatient clinics. There is also room for improvement in risk assessments and in the further training of judges. In addition, there are no uniform criteria for high-risk cases and for the handling of case conferences.

“Protecting women from violence and victims requires raising awareness in society as a whole, as well as sustainable, effective and coordinated measures by all those involved in this area,” emphasized RH President Margit Kraker. The Federal Chancellery, together with the responsible ministries and the federal states, should determine strategic priorities and also increasingly take preventive measures.

In proceedings for violence in the immediate social area, securing evidence that is as close as possible to the time of the crime and well-founded is particularly relevant in order to guarantee victims’ rights, the RH informed. The Federal Chancellery and the interior, justice and social affairs ministries have already agreed that there is a need for violent outpatient clinics. Area-wide examination centers available around the clock were sought. The Court of Appeal now recommended realizing this in a timely manner.

support for police officers

In suspected cases of violence in the private sphere, the first police officers to intervene must decide on immediate protective measures, such as a ban on entering and approaching. In 2021, the Vienna State Police Headquarters set up a “violence in privacy” support to support the officers. The aim of the service, which is available around the clock, is to use a special tool to identify high-risk cases at an early stage. The RH criticized that there were no comparable support structures in other federal states.

According to the report, there are no uniform criteria for case conferences. Since 2020, these can be convened in high-risk cases at their own discretion or at the suggestion of violence protection centers – with the aim of coordinating special protective measures for people at risk. The number of security police case conferences nationwide increased from 25 in 2020 to 57 in 2021; from January to October 2022 there were 167. Sometimes, however, proposed case conferences are not carried out, the ACA informed and recommended that the reasons for this be evaluated. In addition, prosecutors rarely attended case conferences, despite invitations from the security agency.

Since 2009, prospective judges and public prosecutors have had to complete a two-week compulsory training period at a victim protection or welfare facility. The RH report shows that those who had not already dealt with the issue of violence against women during their training were not obliged to do so at a later point in time.

The Court of Auditors also found that the federal states did not reach the number of family places in women’s shelters per 10,000 inhabitants recommended by the Council of Europe in accordance with its Istanbul Convention. In addition, the existing facilities are distributed very differently regionally – Salzburg had ten locations during the period under study, but Styria, with more than twice the area and population, only had two locations.

Lack of data

Overall, according to RH, there is a lot of catching up to do with the data in this area. Accordingly, there are no relevant figures on specific violence against women in the judiciary. In addition, the Federal Criminal Police Office did not carry out any unreported research on violence in the private sphere. Although the majority of injuries due to domestic violence are treated in outpatient clinics or by resident doctors, there is a general lack of data from this area because standardized diagnostic documentation is only provided for inpatient admissions to hospitals. There are also insufficient figures for the total expenditure by the federal and state governments in the area of violence and victim protection.

The numerous recommendations of the Court of Audit are addressed to the Federal Chancellery (BKA/Women’s Section), the Ministry of Justice and the Interior and the Federal Criminal Police Office (BK) with suggestions for improvement. In any case, the Court of Appeal acknowledged that low-threshold counseling for women is offered across almost the entire federal territory. The auditors also rated the 24/7 women’s helpline against violence positively. Austria was also one of the first European countries to legislate on measures to protect against domestic violence. The report analyzed the years 2018 up to and including September 2022.

In Austria, women who experience violence can find help and information from the women’s helpline at: 0800-222-555, www.frauenhelpline.at; at the Association of Autonomous Austrian Women’s Shelters (AÖF). www.aoef.at; Women’s shelter emergency number 057722 and the Austrian Violence Protection Centers: 0800/700-217; Police emergency number: 133