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Society
Austria Battles Sex Abuse Within Homes
by Mehru Jaffer
Last year, an
eight-year-old girl in Vienna was rescued from the clutches of her
abusive father, after her mother mustered the courage to speak up
against her husband and report his heinous deeds.
When the girl was rescued - in October 2007 - by the Austrian Women's
Shelter Network, a Vienna-based non-profit organization, and taken to
live at a city shelter with her mother, she was in no state to talk
about her ordeal. Only recently, has she begun interacting with people.
After a great deal of cajoling, when the child spoke to social workers,
she told them that her father had said that it was 'normal' for him to
do what he was doing to her and that all fathers do this with their
daughters.
Shocking as it may sound, this young girl is not alone in her misery.
There are several child victims of sexual abuse in Austria. And,
unfortunately, more often than not, the perpetrators are from within the
family.
According to Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE), every fifth woman in
Austria has suffered abuse at the hands of a close male relative at some
point in her life. Sexual abuse within the confines of the family and at
the hands of the patriarch or other close family members, has become a
common social malaise in Austria.
It may appear that the law to address such abuse is not adequate.
According to the law, it's not wrong for a 50-year-old man to have sex
with an 18-year-old - legally an adult. Whether this 'sanction'
justifies sexual intercourse is another question altogether. Where
younger children are involved, justice is delayed, as the victims rarely
come forward to expose the abusive patriarch.
Experts, however, state that the law is adequate. It is its manipulation
that is undesirable. In fact, they argue that the silent acceptance of
violence by victims only helps the perverts, as was seen in the recent
case of Joseph Fritzl, who imprisoned and raped his daughter in a cellar
for nearly a quarter-of-a-century.
"The actual law is not the problem. It is the manipulation of the law
and the justice system - which is dominated by the patriarchal mindset -
that is the problem. The structure of our social system remains
patriarchal and we grow up believing that it is perfectly normal to be
afraid of parents and that we need to always obey the authority figure
within the family," says Rosa Logar, 49, Project Manager, Austrian
Women's Shelter Network.
Three decades ago, Logar founded Austria's first women's shelter. She
has come across many cases of child abuse and domestic violence in
Europe, and believes that the crime has now become commonplace. "It
starts with the family, ideally the smallest unit of democracy in
society, but which has been reduced to a totalitarian prison due to the
violence and abuse practiced by the patriarch," she says.
Child abuse remains a grave problem, even though governments in several
European countries monitor such abuse and prosecute offenders. Austria's
Ministry for Social Welfare estimates that 90 per cent of child abuse
occur within families, committed either by family members or family
friends.
According to Logar, sexual abuse within a family is the most hidden form
of domestic violence. And there seems no end to it as long as the
patriarch remains confident of a social system that empowers him with
the right to abuse women and children.
Joseph Fritzl's case has been an eye-opener of sorts for people. They
had until then looked the other way when they came across an abusive or
overly dominating parent. Had Fritzl's neighbors, family members,
friends or relatives cared to question the story he had fabricated about
the mysterious disappearance of his daughter, Elizabeth, she may have
been saved from his atrocities much earlier.
At the age of 18, Elisabeth, the eldest of seven children, was abducted
by Fritzl and imprisoned in a dungeon below the family home for 24
years, during which she gave birth to seven children fathered by him. In
1984, Fritzl had told everyone, including his wife, Rosemarie, that
Elisabeth had left home to join a cult. Nobody had dared to probe
further.
In fact, Christine, one of Rosemarie's sisters, revealed that she had
always been afraid of her brother-in-law and that no one in the family
was allowed to question him or his decisions.
But things are probably changing now. With Fritzl is behind bars on
multiple charges of rape, murder and holding his daughter hostage,
people are beginning to talk.
Although the number of unreported cases is still very high, the
mushrooming of numerous telephonic helplines has certainly helped
victims and potential victims. To assist them in getting over their
anxiety and talk about the incidents of violence they have experienced,
the WSN has recently introduced a 24-hour telephonic service. Also,
there has been an increase in the number of shelters for victims of
violence. Austria now has 28 homes of this kind.
While the various steps taken to rehabilitate the victims are proving to
be lifesavers, the issue demands systematic reform. Austrian society
needs to shed its patriarchal legacy and ensure that women in the
country are empowered to break their silence and confront their
attackers.
July 27,
2008
By arrangement with
WFS
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