Violence protection for women: Solidarity is shown in front of the parliament

Violence protection for women: Solidarity is shown in front of the parliament

On Tuesday afternoon, an impressive campaign took place in front of the Austrian Parliament in Vienna, which should draw attention to the dangers of violence against women. The initiative "In the Shadow of Violence", organized by the civil society campaign organization "#aufstehn", aimed to focus on violence protection for women in the focus of the political agenda.

In the course of this event, numerous people gathered, including representatives from politics, to campaign for the rights and protection of women. Maria Mayrhofer, the managing director of "#aufstehn", emphasized that about every third woman in Austria has experienced physical or sexualized violence since she was 15 years old. This alarming number illustrates why an intensive examination of this topic is urgently necessary.

Symbolic presence in front of the parliament

During the campaign, 30 female silhouettes, which were completely dressed in black full body suits, were set up in front of the parliament. These figures symbolize women who are affected by violence in Austria. Each silhouette stands for a voice that has to be raised to make the suffering of the victims visible. In addition, some silhouettes with messages such as "Violence Protection now" and "affects all of us" to point out the urgency of the situation.

The women's speakers of the four largest political parties, including Juliane Bogner-Strauß (ÖVP), Eva-Maria Holzleitner (SPÖ), Henrike Brandstötter (Neos) and Meri Disoski (Greens), were on site and made it clear that everyone was pursuing a common goal on this day. They assured that they would bring the concerns of victims of violence to the agenda as part of the upcoming parliamentary session.

A strong sign of changes

At the final ceremony, the politicians received black figures from “#aufstehn”, who also symbolize the invisible victims of violence. "I take this doll into parliament," said Meri Disoski, "to support women's concerns and ensure that they are not ignored." Her colleague Eva-Maria Holzleitner added that this figure was a “warning signal” that society should never remain quiet as long as such violent crimes continue to exist.

The campaign has already found 50,000 supporters who stand together for an important goal: "Stop violence on women!" In an open letter to Women's Minister Susanne Raab, more resources for prevention and support are immediately requested. These demands underline how important it is not only to talk about the problem, but also to take actual measures to combat violence against women.

With this active phase of awareness, “#aufstehn” hopes to mobilize other citizens and to raise awareness of this critical topic throughout society in order to bring about sustainable change.