City of Vienna considers measures to tackle discrimination in toilet facilities

Ombudsperson Gaby Schwarz has described the City of Vienna’s announcement that it will look into making public toilets free of charge as a “step in the right direction”. “Once again, it is clear that the Austrian Ombudsman Board's persistence is bearing fruit. For three years, I have been criticising the discrimination against women in numerous public toilet facilities in the capital. There is no justification for the fact that men can use urinals for free, whilst toilet cubicles cost 50 cents. Discrimination remains discrimination. It is to be hoped that the review will take place swiftly and that, at the end of the day, yet another instance of unequal treatment will be eliminated. Either everyone pays, or no one does.”