89 communities excellent: together against violence on women!

89 communities excellent: together against violence on women!

St. Pölten, Österreich - On Monday, December 2, 2024, 89 municipalities were awarded in the state parliamentary meeting hall in St. Pölten for their outstanding violence prevention measures. This event was initiated by the women's state councilor Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister. The excellent communities received a specially designed enamel badge that serves as a visible sign of their commitment to violence against women. Teschl-Hofmeister emphasized how important it is that 89 municipalities with a broad spectrum of measures followed this call: "It is impressive to see how active our communities are. The fact that 89 communities have followed my call and have informed us of the preventive measures they have taken in recent years, shows the great commitment and the willingness to take responsibility," says the State Council.

The preventive initiatives of the communities are diverse and include an average of 7.5 measures per community. These range from press articles in community newspapers to information folder to creatively designed pastries. Sensitization campaigns for multipliers were also organized to raise awareness of domestic violence. "The communities play a central role," said Teschl-Hofmeister and emphasized the importance of civil courage. Another remarkable example is the hoist of the Lower Austria-specific flag "You have the right to a non-violent life" by almost all of the communities involved. Some municipalities also implement creative promotions, such as workshops and setting up benches with the slogan "No place for violence".

together against violence

All communities present were encouraged to continue their efforts, since every measure, however small, can help prevent violence. Teschl-Hofmeister also announced that regional networking meetings will take place again in the coming year in order to promote the exchange between the stakeholders in the region and to create a safe environment. Such activities are the focus of commitment in the fight against domestic violence and show how important the role of the communities is in this context. The entire initiative aims to create collective awareness and to make an active contribution to the prevention of violence, as in the report of Noe.gv.at