Help and counselling
You have the right to counselling and support from a counselling centre. This also includes the women’s shelters.
In Austria, there are many different support services. You can find an overview of the most important violence protection services and topics in our overview.
Barring and restraining order
If you are in immediate danger, call the police.
The police can issue a so-called barring and restraining order against the perpetrator. This means:
- The perpetrator must leave your shared home
- (It does not matter who owns the home or who is the main tenant)
- He is not allowed to enter the home for 14 days
- He is not allowed to come near you. The distance must be at least 100 metres.
- The police check whether the order is being complied with
- You will receive free counselling from the Violence Protection Centre.
- If you are afraid that the perpetrator will not comply with the order, you can come to a women’s shelter.
This is important so that:
- the violence is stopped.
- you can calm down.
- you can think about what to do next.
During the barring and restraining order, you can apply for an interim injunction. This automatically extends the barring and restraining order to 4 weeks. An interim injunction is valid for up to 1 year.
Interim injunction
For longer-term protection, you can apply to the court for an interim injunction. An interim injunction is a document that sets out contact bans for the perpetrator. There are different types of interim injunctions. For example:
- The perpetrator is not allowed to enter your home
- He is not allowed to contact you
- The perpetrator is banned from several places (home, kindergarten, …)
- The perpetrator is not allowed to share any personal data or photos of you
If you apply for an interim injunction, it is helpful if you provide the court with evidence. This can be, for example:
- A barring and restraining order
- A criminal complaint
- A statement to the police
- Evidence of injuries (for example photos)
- Evidence of digital violence (chat messages, emails, voice messages, …)
We recommend that you get support with the application. If you do not yet have a counsellor, call our counselling centre.
Reporting to the police
If you experience violence, you can report the perpetrator to the police. This means reporting the criminal acts.
Criminal acts include, for example:
- Repeated violence
- Assault
- Stalking
- Rape
- Dangerous threat
After a report, the police must investigate. This means they examine your case and collect evidence. This is sent to the public prosecutor’s office.
The public prosecutor’s office decides whether charges will be brought against the perpetrator. If charges are brought, there will be a court hearing.
Important:
- You have the right to free legal support during proceedings. This means: you can get advice before making a report and you do not have to go to the police alone.
- If you filed a report on your own, take the record with you. This is called a “witness interview record”. You have the right to take it with you.
- If you filed a report on your own, you can still receive legal support during proceedings afterwards. Call us.
- You cannot withdraw a report.
- If the police learn of criminal offences, they must file a report. This is called the principle of mandatory prosecution.
Court accompaniment
You have the right to free legal support during proceedings for the entire process. This means: you will be assigned a counsellor who will accompany you. This is called a legal support worker. Your legal support workers are a counsellor (for example a social worker or psychologist) and a lawyer. Your legal support workers accompany and advise you from the beginning until the court proceedings are concluded.
Your legal support workers:
- Advise you on your rights and obligations and explain the procedure.
- Prepare appointments with you. For example: with the police or in court
- Accompany you to court appointments
- Support you throughout the entire process
In some cases, you can also receive legal support during proceedings for civil cases. For example for:
- Divorce
- Custody
You can receive legal support during proceedings from us at the counselling centre.
Do you need help?
Are you experiencing violence at home? Are you afraid and need to leave your home?
Women’s Shelters
If your home is too dangerous, you can find protection in a women’s shelter.
Counseling Center
You don’t want to go to a women’s shelter? But you need counseling and support? Then contact our counseling center.