Vienna, the capital of Austria, is experiencing moments of sadness after shocking acts of violence against women left five of them dead within 24 hours. The deaths sparked concerns about genderbased violence in the country, a longstanding issue that has recently gained prominence.
On socalled “Black Friday,” police reported that three women were stabbed by a man in a brothel and later arrested. A woman and her teenage daughter were also killed in an unrelated incident. Authorities believe the girl's father was responsible for the crimes. There is no evidence that the two cases are related.
Violence against women shocks the community
The bodies of the three women murdered in the brothel, believed to be Chinese nationals, were discovered after a 911 call. The suspect, a 27yearold Afghan, was found near the crime scene with a knife in his hand.
A 51yearold woman and her 13yearold daughter were also found dead in an apartment in the Erdberg district, around 12 km away. Police believe the victim's husband and father is responsible. “Initial investigations, which are still ongoing, indicate that brutal force was used,” said police spokesman Philip Hasslinger.
Call for action to combat violence against women
The shocking crimes have sparked urgent calls from activists and politicians for concrete action to combat violence against women. “We mourn the murdered women, we think of the survivors and we demand that a national antiviolence action plan finally be implemented to protect the lives of women in Austria,” said EvaMaria Holzleitner, head of the opposition’s women’s policy department Social Democratic Party (SPO).
The coalition government then promised to combat the problem and allocated almost 25 million euros in 2021 for initiatives to protect women from violence. Still, the task will be arduous: According to the latest data on femicide rates in Austria, published by the Institute for Conflict Research, around 319 women were killed in the country between 2010 and 2020, most by partners or expartners.