Austrian Policy on Violence Against Women

In principle, violent attacks can happen any time and any place, and it will never be possible to completely eliminate them by police measures alone. Combating crime, which includes violence and sexual assaults, can only be successful if all stakeholders in this country join forces. It is important to create a general attentiveness among girls and women, who are potential victims, and to thus build threat awareness. This is a task which requires joint efforts by the police, the medical profession, nursing staff, counselling and victim assistance centers, and the general public. It is a fact that most instances of violent attacks occur in the immediate social vicinity of the victims, hence the threat is highest in the supposedly most secure place: at home. No matter what the circumstances, the basic principle is that responsibility for the act lies solely with the perpetrator and never with the victim!