Rape process in Villach: Designed deny allegations
Rape process in Villach: Designed deny allegations
In Villach, a 22-year-old worker who worked at the Villach church day is the focus of a process for sexual assault. The defendant, currently presented from custody, is said to have committed the serious crime by forced a 14-year-old to oral sex. The prosecutor Daniela Matschning reported during the trial, which was now postponed without all witnesses being heard. The defendants and their defender Matthias Berchtold insist on the fact that the behavior was mutual. A direct understanding between the accused and the girl was not possible due to language barriers; A colleague had to act as a translator.
The girl who currently lives in a boarding school in Nigeria was among the witnesses. Via video transmission, she described that she had resisted the attacks. According to her statements, she could only escape when a colleague from the accused opened the door. However, the defense points out that the door was always open. Another person who might have brought light to the incident was unavailable, which led to the continuation of the process on a later date.sensitization and protective measures
The incident also falls together with the opening of a contact point for sexual harassment on Villach's church day, which was launched on July 18, 2024. This initiative, which was initiated by the church council and Vice Mayor Gerda Sandriesser (SPÖ), aims to ensure a safe environment for all visitors. The contact point is located in the Khevenhüller School and offers those affected the opportunity to speak to trained consultants in a protected space.
As part of this initiative, poster campaigns with the slogan "No means no!" hung in the toilet containers on the church day area in order to draw attention to the topic. During the church day week, the advice center and the specialized consultants will support visitors and offer crisis intervention to help with the assessment of experienced border crossings.
support offers for those affected
In addition to the local contact point, there are extensive help and advisory services at the national level, which are provided by the Diakonie and the Office of the Federal Government. These offers are aimed not only at victims of sexual violence, but also to relatives and specialists who need support. This includes contact with the help telephone and information about advice centers nearby.
These initiatives and the current process underline the opportunity to draw attention to the problem of sexual violence and at the same time to offer urgently needed support for those affected. The campaign "Do not push the thought away" launched by Diakonie focuses on the awareness of society - in particular views of sexual violence in the environment of children and adolescents.
In the event of a conviction, the accused threatens up to ten years in prison, and the girl has joined the proceedings as a private part of the private person with a pain payment claim of 2,000 euros. The public is now eagerly awaiting the progress of the procedure and the reactions for the prevention of sexualized violence.
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| Ort | Villach, Österreich |
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