Stop - new violence project started in Eisenstadt and Mattersburg

Von WOM

In a recently held press conference, significant personalities from Burgenland have presented the “Stop - districts without partner violence” project, which is now also finding its way into the cities of Mattersburg and Eisenstadt. Governor Deputy Astrid Eisenkopf, together with the mayors Claudia Schlager and Thomas Steiner, emphasized the need for measures to combat violence in partnerships and domestic violence that affects all social classes.

"Violence has no place for us!" said Eisenkopf and pointed out that 35 percent of women in Austria at the age of over 15 years are affected by physical or sexual violence. The “Stop” project originally started in the districts of Oberwart and Jennersdorf in 2021 and has proven to be successful there. The goal is to promote civil courage and to raise awareness of gender -specific violence.

The commitment of the municipalities

The Burgenland has decided to actively act against violence in the coming years. The association "Die Tür", which runs the women's advice centers in Mattersburg and Eisenstadt, will act as a sponsoring organization for the new project. Eisenkopf emphasized the importance of a common effort: "Extensive protection of violence can only succeed if everyone pulls together." The financing model stipulates that the federal government bears 50 percent of the costs, while the country and cities each take over 25 percent.

The project officially begins on January 1, 2025 and is initially created until the end of 2026. This extends the stop project to over 35 locations. Christina Kopf from the autonomous Austrian women's shelters, who acts as coordinator of the project, emphasized the importance of a supportive environment for women affected by violence: "Everyone can say and do something!"

The mayor of Mattersburg, Claudia Schlager, also commented on the importance of this initiative: "It is a heart concern for me that we sensitize and support the population so that women who are affected by violence have contact points." The mayor of Eisenstadt, Thomas Steiner, also underlined the need to make violence visible in the family and to sensitize the neighborhood. "We have to break this silence and take responsibility," he said.

Last year, according to the statistics of the stop project, over 270 neighbors and more than 600 project partners actively participated. The support from the government of Burgenland shows the determination of continuing the project and securing the existing locations.

part of the Burgenland action plan

The “Stop” project is part of the Burgenland action plan against violence, which was introduced in 2022. This plan includes a variety of measures that aim to enable all people in Burgenland a non -violent life. These include training for violence protection and sensitization campaigns.

The concept of the project was developed in Hamburg in 2006 and is becoming increasingly important throughout Austria. At the beginning of 2019 it was launched in Vienna as a pilot project and has now gained a foothold in all federal states.

For those interested, the website www.stop-partnerget.at offers detailed information about the project and the planned measures.