Ombudswoman Gaby Schwarz on the occasion of International Women's Day: Encourage more women to turn to the Ombudsman Board

"Every year, the Austrian Ombudsman Board processes around 23,000 complaints. But only a third of these come from women. I would therefore like to encourage women to take matters into their own hands and increasingly turn to the Ombudsman Board. We are a strong partner when it comes to standing up to the authorities," appeals Ombudswoman Gaby Schwarz on the occasion of International Women's Day on 8 March.

"Women still hold back too much, preferring to let men take the lead. While women think long and hard about whether they are up to a challenge, men are quicker to show themselves. This is an inherited social phenomenon. The sooner we get rid of it, the better," attests Gaby Schwarz, who has launched a #couragewomen initiative.

"Courage is the first step towards freedom. But as we see, courage is not always innate, sometimes it has to be learnt. The #couragewomen initiative is a call for female solidarity," emphasises the Ombudswoman, who regularly posts videos of inspiring women on her social media channels. Around 40 #couragewomen are already telling us when they had to jump over their own shadow in order to be able to lead a self-determined life. "The aim is to encourage women for women. If we women don't stand up for each other, who will?" says Ombudswoman Gaby Schwarz, inviting all those interested to take part in the initiative.


Translation was AI-generated

Photo by Gaby Schwarz Only a third of complaints come from women - call for female solidarity - #Mutfrauen initiative continues Picture credits: Daniel Bointner / Austrian Ombudsman Board

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