In a report published on Tuesday 10 September, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) commends the Austrian authorities for the measures they have taken to further align their legislation with the Istanbul Convention, particularly with regard to online misogynistic harassment, but it also identifies areas where progress is still needed.
In Austria, for example, women placed under a protection order and/or staying in a shelter may still be required to allow meetings with their children and the violent parent.
Another cause for serious concern is the persistently high number of femicides in Austria (an average of three per month).
Preventing these murders must remain a priority, stresses GREVIO.
Among the ‘ underlying causes ’ of sexual violence inflicted on women and girls, the report cites children and young people’s access to violent pornography online, linked to “a worrisome decrease in the age of perpetrators of sexual violence”.
GREVIO has observed this phenomenon in other countries bound by the Istanbul Convention.
Link to the GREVIO report: https://aeur.eu/f/dd2 (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)