Dancing together against violence: Women are making a strong statement!

Dancing together against violence: Women are making a strong statement!

The OBRA association is vehemently committed to strengthening women's and equality policy in Austria. In view of the current coalition negotiations between the parties, former politician Klaudia Frieben is calling for stronger commitment against male violence and for gender equality. “At the moment, no one at the negotiators’ table is paying attention to this,” criticized the deputy manager of the network of Austrian advice centers for women and girls, Jenny-Kerstin Bauer. On February 14th, a dance event will be held to send a clear message against violence against women in order to strengthen women's sense of community and confidence in their own bodies, as stated in a report by the Small newspaper can be read.

Demand for continued cooperation

OBRA emphasizes the need for effective cooperation between politics, authorities and NGOs in order to achieve sustainable progress. The association expresses concerns that a government with FPÖ participation could potentially push women back into the “domestic sphere”. “Women's policy must not be backward-looking,” warned Frieben and called for a continuation of current measures that are in line with the Istanbul Convention to combat violence against women. Significant economic benefits can also be achieved by investing in women's associations, as political scientist Ewa Ernst-Dziedzic confirmed in a press conference.

The EU has created a legal basis for gender equality since 1957; yet implementation remains inadequate. Structural inequalities are still evident, for example in the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions and in violence against women. These problems are part of the ongoing discussions about the promotion of women and equality policy, as they also occur in the context of Learning aid be listed. The 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam promoted the legal framework for equality, but everyday reality proves that a lot of work still needs to be done to achieve true equality of opportunity.