Austria's focus: National action plan against violence starts!

Austria's focus: National action plan against violence starts!

Österreich - The Federal Government in Austria announced today, on May 20, 2025, the creation of a national action plan (NAP) to combat violence against women and girls. The aim is to enable women and girls to live without violence, which is seen as an urgent structural problem. Women's Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner underlines the need for a structural answer to this topic and announces that the NAP is anchored in the government program and should measure government acts in the area of ​​violence over the next five years. The first National Action Plan Violence Protection was initiated in 2014 under the then Minister of Women Gabriele Heinisch-Hosek (SPÖ).

A central element of the NAP is the formation of eight working groups that deal with various aspects of violence. These working groups are responsible for topics such as:

• Functional violence in the field of education from childhood to university
• Violence in the work environment
• Security in public and private space
• digital and media sphere
• Early detection in healthcare

cooperative measures for effective protection

The National Action Plan is created under the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Women, Science and Research (BMFWF) and includes cooperation with other ministries such as the Federal Ministry of Justice (BMJ), the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) and the Federal Ministry of Education (BMB). Each working group is directed by a department, which illustrates the government's end of the government in violence. This also includes prevention under the Ministry of the Interior.

Marina Sorgo, the Federal Association of the Violence Protection Centers, emphasizes the need to coordinate all institutions. "Violence protection is a responsibility for society as a whole," adds Elisabeth Cinatl, chair of the Autonomous women's shelters. The NAP provides for a political coordination in autumn, whereby the completion will be sought until the end of 2025.

digital harassment as a new goal in violence protection

A particularly urgent concern is to combat sexual harassment, especially in digital space. Women often receive inappropriate images about social networks and messaging services. This form of harassment is currently not punishable, which is why the Federal Government is planning to propose a law that should punish the unsolicited sending of such content. Justice Minister Anna Sporrer makes it clear that this is an enormous burden for those affected and that a legal framework must be created in order to improve protection against online violence.

The goals of the NAP include the implementation of the Istanbul Convention at a strategic level and the anchoring of concrete implementation goals, timetables and responsibilities. The integration of NGOs, specialist agencies and science is also part of the plan to ensure coordinated measures. The NAP will continue to drive the violence protection strategy and focus on the advice of women in Austria.
The concrete measures of the NAP are essential to protect women and girls in the long term and to create a society in which violence has no place.

For the year 2025, the women's budget is planned, without cuts in the women's department for 2024 and a small increase for 2026. Marina Sorgo points out that the planned measures need time to develop their effect. The decline in case conferences to high -risk cases in 2024 is associated with the advisory points for violence prevention that have existed since 2021.