Multilingual posters provide information in gynecologists’ and pediatricians’ practices throughout Austria about help for women affected by violence / materials in 6 languages
Vienna (OTS) – Female refugees and migrants are often unfamiliar with protection from violence and important contact points for victims of violence. The Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) and the Austrian Medical Association are therefore launching a new initiative against violence against women: Together they are providing information in 2,000 gynecologists’ and pediatricians’ practices throughout Austria about where women can find help in the event of violence. In order to reach women and girls with a migration and refugee background in particular, the ÖIF and the Medical Association are equipping all gynecologists’ and pediatricians’ practices in Austria with multilingual violence protection posters and information materials. The posters provide information in six common languages of origin about the most important telephone numbers and contact points so that women affected by or threatened by violence can find help quickly and easily.
Sonia Koul, head of the women and family team at the ÖIF: “Studies show that women and girls with migration and refugee backgrounds are exposed to an increased risk of violence and often do not know important contact points in the event of violence. Thanks to the collaboration with the Austrian Medical Association, it is now possible to provide multilingual information directly in pediatric and gynecologist practices about important contact points in the event of violence and thus reach even more women. The ÖIF women’s centers support immigrants threatened and affected by violence with multilingual advice and, if necessary, establish contact with specialized violence protection institutions.”
Johannes Steinhart, President of the Austrian Medical Association: “Violence should never be trivialized. Violence makes you sick. We doctors are proud of the special relationship of trust we have with our patients. Women who have experienced violence should be able to turn to us in confidence and discreetly in ordinations and hospitals and also find out about other contact points and offers of help. The Austrian Medical Association is very happy to support this campaign so that victims of violence can receive all possible help in the event of violence in a low-threshold and discreet manner and can offer them every possible way out of a violent environment.”
Multilingual violence protection posters provide information about contact points in the event of violence
According to a study by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), women and girls with a migrant and refugee background are at an increased risk of violence. In order to inform female refugees, displaced persons and immigrants about where they can quickly find help in the event of violence, the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF), the Federal Chancellery and UNHCR provide multilingual violence protection posters and information materials on regional contact points for women affected by violence. As part of the campaign, the Federal Administrative Court (BVwG) and the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) are already providing multilingual information at all locations about offers of help in the event of violence. The Westfield Shopping City Süd and the St. Josef Hospital are also taking part in the campaign. The multilingual anti-violence posters, information materials and the brochure “STOP! Against Violence Against Women and Girls” are available free of charge Media library can be ordered on the ÖIF website.
ÖIF women’s centers with a variety of integration offers for women with a migration background
The ÖIF women’s centers offer immigrants a wide range of multilingual seminars, consultation hours and advice on career and educational opportunities, health and family as well as violence prevention and self-determination. In the ÖIF women’s centers in Vienna and Graz, women with refugee backgrounds affected by violence are advised and referred directly to those organizations that deal intensively with protection against violence and offer concrete assistance for individual cases. All information about the ÖIF offers to strengthen and promote women and the women’s centers can be found at www.integrationsfonds.at/frauen.
Photos of the campaign are on the ÖIF-Website available; Press release free of charge, copyright: Olha Soldiersko / ÖIF
Questions & Contact:
Austrian Integration Fund
+43 504682
presse@integrationsfonds.at
https://www.integrationsfonds.at