Violence against women and domestic violence in relation to the Istanbul Convention

• Author: Thomasberger, Martina
• Pages: 49-49

49

10 Violence against women and domestic violence in relation to the Istanbul

Convention

10.1 General (legal) context

10.1.1 Surveys and reports on issues of violence against women and domestic violence

Survey: https://www.aoef.at/index.php/studien-zu-gewalt?start=4.

The survey gives an overview of a study that was done by the Institute for Family Research

at Vi enna Un iversity in 2011 on the occurrence and prevalence of domestic violence in

Austria. It contains the best data currently available on these topics.

10.1.2 Overview of national acts on violence against women, domestic violence and issues

related to the Istanbul Convention

Austria provides detailed online information about the relevant steps to be taken in cases

of domestic violence:

https://www.oesterreich.gv.at/themen/gesundheit_und_notfaelle/gewalt_in_d er_familie.

html.

Legislation is contained in the Security Police Act (Sicherheitspolizeigesetz) and in the Civil

Enforcement of Liabilities Act (Exekutionsordnung).

10.1.3 National provisions on online violence and online harassment

New regulations are considered necessary; policy discussions are still ongoing at the time

of writing. The Gove rnment had announced the regulation of a requirement for users of

online discussion boards to register with a personal ID.123

10.1.4 Political and societal debate

The Government has cut back fun ding for specialised NGOs, e.g. for a monitoring project

for acts of online hatred and violence.

10.2 Ratification of the Istanbul Convention

Austria was th e first c ountry in Eu rope to in troduce specific legislation that provided

protection against domestic violence and implemented a system of legal and procedural

protections for women, together with a network of shelters and social support for femal e

victims of domestic abuse. Austria was also one of the first EU Member States to ratify the

Istanbul Convention.

The ratification of the Istanbul Convention did not result in any major changes in the

existing legislation. It did, however, direct some of the focus of the policy debates on

shortcomings in data collection and specific monitoring. The cu rrent Government is not

prioritising further improvements in domestic violence legislation or funding.

Apart from plans for a more con sistent app roach to data gathering and evaluation, the

specific changes t o criminal law in conne ction with the ratification concerned making

sexual harassment a criminal offence.

123 After the cut-off date of this report, the government was voted out by a parliamentary vote of no

confidence before these policies could be made into legislation; elections are scheduled for September

2019.