On 27 February, the Austrian Ombudsman Board is launching a new format on the topic of violence against women, this time in cooperation with the Stiftung Forum Verfassung. The aim of the event is to raise awareness of gender-specific violence, particularly in the context of social work, social education and healthcare professions. The event is primarily aimed at people who want to work in these professions in the future, such as students at universities of applied sciences for social work, colleges of social education, medicine or law.
"Face it instead of turning away: Recognising, addressing and preventing violence against women and girls - taking responsibility in the health and social sector"
Friday, 27 February 2026, 9 am to 12:15 pm, admission from 8:30 am
Verfassungsgerichtshof (VfGH), Freyung 8, 1010 Vienna
The entire event will be interpreted live into Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS).
Personal participation on site: Please register with your name, e-mail address and educational establishment/institution or similar. HERE
Please cancel in case you are unable to attend!
If you are unable to attend on site, we cordially invite you to join the livestream of the event. You will find it shortly before the start of the event at the end of this article.
What can you expect?
Experts will explain what violence is, where it begins and what it has to do with human rights. Specialists from the fields of medicine, care and social work will report on how to act correctly and which prevention approaches are successful. In addition to raising awareness of forms of gender-based violence - particularly in the context of healthcare, social work and jurisdiction, the specialist forum aims to impart skills for recognising, addressing and referring cases of domestic, institutional and sexualised violence, to highlight the human rights obligations of state institutions and professionals and to promote interdisciplinary cooperation and awareness-raising.
From the programme:
- Welcome and introduction: Constitutional Court President Christoph Grabenwarter, Michaela Schierhuber (Stiftung Forum Verfassung), Ombudsperson Gaby Schwarz
- Keynote speech: "Violence against women as a violation of human rights": Elisabeth Holzleithner, Institute for Philosophy of Law, University of Vienna
- Practical panel: "Recognising and acting - from the practice of medicine, care and social work": Grainne Nebois-Zeman (Representation Network), Andrea Berzlanovich (founder of "One in five"), Barbara Schrammel (Frauen*beraten Frauen*).
- Moderation: Ombudsperson Bernhard Achitz
- Short presentations on prevention approaches: Maria Rösslhumer (StoP - neighbourhoods without partner violence), Romeo Bissuti (Umbrella organisation for men's work Austria), Philipp Leeb (poika - Association for the promotion of gender-sensitive work with boys)
- Conclusion & reflection: Discussion with the participants, invitation to further initiatives and networks
