Prevention and Victim Support

General Information to Support Victims

Criminology defines 'victim' as a person who has suffered harm and whose rights have been injured. The violation of the law may be:

• offences against life and limb (e.g. murder, bodily injury, acts of violence, dangerous threat, violation of the right to sexual self-determination)
• non-material offences (e.g. insult, copyright infringement)
• property crime (e.g. theft, damage to property)

A victim who reports an offender to the police has the right to receive a written confirmation of the report.
The assistance offered ranges from legal and psychosocial counselling, assistance during criminal proceedings,   to protection and accommodation in emergency situations. Such services are provided by institutions which are actively involved in victim support:

• Legal Counselling Offices  
  Get free legal counselling from lawyers
• Intervention Services in Austria  
  Legally recognised victim support services take care of victims of domestic violence (mostly women and children)
• Women’s Emergency Hotline and Women’s Advice Centres  
  First contact point for questions related to violence against women (domestic violence, rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment at work, etc.)
• Child Protection Centres  
  Counselling service for any kind of violence against children and adolescents
• Homes for Battered Wives  
  Offer secure shelter for women and their children who have suffered violence at the hands of their partners/husbands
• Counselling Service for Men  
  Offers support and advice to men who experience crisis situations
• General Victim Protection Institutions  
  Independent associations focusing on different topics (e.g. abused children, crime victims)

For more information on victim support go to www.oesterreich.gv.at   

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