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EQUALITY

What is the Austrian government doing for gender equality?

The federal government in Austria announced funding that mainly benefits women in rural areas, older women, and issues related to forced marriage, violence and digitalisation.

Published: 20 August 2024 12:11 CEST
What is the Austrian government doing for gender equality?
Susanne Raab announces new fundings for projects to improve women's rights, combate violence and improve digital skills. (Photo by JOE KLAMAR / AFP)

The Federal Chancellery is investing €2 million into 18 different initiatives aimed at empowering women and girls in Austria.

Around 7,000 women are expected to benefit from the funding. 

Funding to support women’s rights, combat violence, and improve digital skills

The funding, announced by Women’s Minister Susanne Raab from The People’s Party (ÖVP), will mainly support projects focusing on improving the lives of women in rural regions, women over 60, and women working on farms.

Main areas of support include combating forced marriage, gender stereotypes, and addressing cultural and family-related violence. The funding supports projects that offer ways out of violent structures, raise awareness of specialised institutions, and promote dialogue between generations.

READ ALSO: Reader question: Is abortion legal in Austria?

“Violence has no place here in Austria. We are taking numerous measures to combat this and ensure that women who are victims of such acts receive the necessary help and support, because every woman and girl in Austria should be able to live free from violence,” says Raab.

The projects will run from 1st September 2024 to 31st December 2025 and also focus on empowering women and girls in the digital space. This includes supporting projects that promote access to digital skills and develop strategies to combat digital violence, such as online hate.

The Federal Chancellery will invest 2 million euros in 18 different initiatives to improve women’s lives in Austria. Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
 

Significant support to associations all over Austria

“Every woman and girl must know that she can achieve anything in her life and live the way she wants”, emphasised Raab.

Significant support from the Chancellery includes €150,000 for the “EqualiZ” association in Carinthia. The association aims to improve participation and self-confidence among women and girls in rural areas, particularly those in the agricultural sector.

EqualiZ focuses on breaking down outdated gender roles and tackling power imbalances that limit women’s opportunities and independence. The association also works to address different forms of gender-based violence.

Another recipient is Johannes Kepler University in Linz, which will receive €190,000 for a nationwide project aimed at educating schoolgirls about the risks of cybercrime related to artificial intelligence.

READ ALSO: Why is the gender pay gap so big in German-speaking countries?

The project focuses on dangers from fake photos, videos, and audio generated by artificial intelligence. The goal is to increase students’ awareness and teach them how to stay safe online.

Additionally, about €120,000 is awarded to the “Mafalda” association in Styria for raising awareness about human and women’s rights, as well as forced marriage.

The association’s goal is to provide a creative approach to complex issues, offer information on violence dynamics and patriarchal structures, and highlight options for escaping such situations. 

You can read about the other projects that will receive funding HERE.

READ NEXT: How do Austria’s political parties want to address the gender pay gap?

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TERRORISM

Austrian investigators seize devices at Munich shooter’s home

Investigators seized electronic devices at the home of a young Austrian who fired shots near Israel's Munich consulate, but found no weapons or Islamic State group propaganda material, authorities said Friday.

Published: 7 September 2024 09:02 CEST
Austrian investigators seize devices at Munich shooter's home

German police shot dead the 18-year-old man on Thursday when he fired a vintage rifle at them near the diplomatic building.

They said they were treating it as a “terrorist attack”, apparently timed to coincide with the anniversary of the killings of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic Games.

Authorities raided the gunman’s home in the Salzburg region, seizing electronic data carriers, Austria’s top security chief Franz Ruf told a press conference in Vienna on Friday.

READ ALSO: Munich Israeli consulate gunman was ‘Austrian national known to authorities’

During the raid, “no weapons or IS propaganda” material were found, Ruf added.

Despite being subject to a ban on owning and carrying weapons, the man managed to purchase a vintage carbine rifle fitted with a bayonet with around “fifty rounds of ammunition” for 400 euros ($445) the day before the attack, Ruf said.

He opened fire at around 9:00 am (0700 GMT) near the Israeli consulate, sparking a mobilisation of about 500 police in downtown Munich.

At a separate press conference in Munich, prosecutor Gabriele Tilmann said investigators were combing through the gunman’s electronic data but had yet to find conclusive evidence of his motive.

But the “working hypothesis” was that “the perpetrator acted out of Islamist or anti-Semitic motivation”, she told reporters.

Austrian police said on Thursday that the gunman, who had Bosnian roots, had previously been investigated on suspicion of links to terrorism.

Investigators last year found three videos he had recorded in 2021, showing scenes from a computer game “with Islamist content”, prosecutors said in a statement.

In one of them the suspect had used an avatar with a flag of the “al-Nusra Front”, a jihadist group active in Syria, said Ruf.

But the investigation was dropped in 2023 as there were no indications that he was active in “radical” circles, prosecutors said.

“The mere playing of a computer game or the re-enactment of violent Islamist scenes was not sufficient to prove intent to commit the offence,” they added.

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