Action Plan Against Violence Towards Women: Work Begins

The substantive work under the political direction of the Ministry of Women began on Tuesday with a kick-off event in Vienna, following the cabinet decision in April. The schedule is ambitious, said Women's Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner (SPÖ) at a press conference: Proposals should be on the table in the fall.

The NAP is intended to contribute to "ensuring that women and girls in Austria can live safely and free from violence in all areas of life." Eight working groups are responsible for the content. The topics range from violence-free education ("from childhood to university") and work environment, as well as public and private spaces, to the digital and media sphere or early detection in healthcare.

"Each working group will be led by a department. This also shows the government's united front" on the issue of violence protection, emphasized Holzleitner. Prevention falls under the aegis of the Ministry of the Interior. The working group "Violence-Free Volunteering" is led by the Department of Sports as well as Arts and Culture. Proposals are being developed immediately, political coordination will take place in the fall, and the completion of the NAP is planned by the end of the year.

Action Plan Against Violence Against Women: Experts Emphasize Joint Path

Experts from all ministries, the administration, practitioners, and civil society are involved. "Only if all institutions act together and in a coordinated manner can we effectively protect women," emphasized Marina Sorgo, Federal Association Chairwoman of the Violence Protection Centers. All institutions and authorities must, as now planned, "pull together" and work in a coordinated and appreciative manner; only in this way can the "cross-cutting issue" be managed. "Violence protection is a societal responsibility," underlined Elisabeth Cinatl, Chairwoman of the Association of Autonomous Women's Shelters and Chairwoman of the Network of Austrian Women's and Girls' Counseling Centers.

"Long-Term Process"

"The NAP is not a one-time project, but a long-term process that will accompany us throughout the entire legislative period," announced Holzleitner. Even in times of budget cuts: For 2025, "the women's budget is secured," there are "no cuts" in the women's department this year, and a "small increase" is planned for 2026.

Measures also need time to take effect, noted Marina Sorgo. In 2024, there were fewer case conferences on high-risk cases than in previous years. She attributed this development to the violence prevention counseling centers established since 2021, whose work with the - mostly male - perpetrators or threats is now bearing fruit.

Prevention must start as early and systematically as possible and "stop the spiral of violence before it's too late," said Justice Minister Anna Sporrer (SPÖ) in a statement. "The SPÖ in government makes a difference," she added: "We have managed to maintain the budget for violence protection, despite the great pressure to save. For example, violence clinics in Vienna and Graz can continue their important work." In addition, the ban on the unsolicited transmission of so-called dick pics has been initiated.

NEOS women's spokesperson Henrike Brandstötter expects "binding goals that include concrete implementation steps with a clear timeline" at the end of the substantive work. "No mere declarations of intent, no show politics, but effective measures." She also sees an opportunity to improve the overview of contact points and ensure a lower-threshold access. "And a woman's freedom begins in her own wallet. That's why it's so important to increasingly convey financial education in schools from the start, alongside equality and self-determination."

FPÖ women's spokesperson Rosa Ecker feared that budget cuts would "once again be at the expense of women." She criticized the fact that the first proposals for measures are to be presented in the fall: "For years, there have been countless vague announcements about the development of the National Action Plan. Further development of existing protection measures would have been long overdue." Ecker also pointed to "challenges due to uncontrolled immigration" and stated: "The most effective action plan against violence against women would be consistent deportations of convicted foreign criminals and a real asylum stop."

The first National Action Plan for Violence Protection dates back to 2014. It was initiated by the then Minister for Women, Gabriele Heinisch-Hosek (SPÖ).

In Austria, women experiencing violence can find help and information, among others, at the Women's Helpline: 0800-222-555, www.frauenhelpline.at; at the Association of Autonomous Austrian Women's Shelters (AÖF) at www.aoef.at; Violence Protection Center Vienna: https://www.gewaltschutzzentrum.at/wien/ and at the 24-hour Women's Emergency Hotline of the City of Vienna: 01-71719 as well as the Women's Shelter Emergency Hotline at 057722 and the Austrian Violence Protection Centers: 0800/700-217; Police Emergency Number: 133

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.