Four-day march against violence against women begins in Mistelbach

A four-day solidarity march against violence towards women and girls began in Mistelbach in the Weinviertel on Thursday, ORF reported. The “Gehen gegen Gewalt” initiative aims to raise awareness and show solidarity.

The march will travel through the Weinviertel from Mistelbach via several stops to Michelberg in the Korneuburg district. Its message is to look instead of looking away and to make opposition to violence visible.

The event is organised by the association Frauen für Frauen. Managing director Manuela Kräuter said violence was a social problem, not a private matter, and that everyone had a role in breaking the cycle.

Several hundred people took part on the first day. Heidemarie Zehetner from Bad Vöslau in the Baden district said she was troubled by the limited media attention given to the issue. “People are dying, women are dying, and it is not an issue. It is not even a headline anymore,” she said.

Calls for more support and prevention

Renate Montigel, who came up with the idea for the initiative, said the march was intended to raise awareness and promote solidarity. She said women affected by violence often experienced prolonged abuse before deciding to separate, while violence after separation was also immense. Montigel said she had experienced this herself and continued to do so.

She called for greater support from public authorities. Kräuter said women’s and girls’ counselling centres across Austria also needed more backing from local communities, the media and politicians.

Kräuter also called for more prevention, saying people needed to start talking about and identifying violence much earlier, including at school and kindergarten. “Violence does not happen out of nowhere,” she said.

Men also joined the opening in Mistelbach. Wolfgang Khinrath from Bad Vöslau said men were affected because they were usually the perpetrators, and because they should show solidarity with people affected by violence.

Survivors and relatives share their experiences

The route will include meetings and discussions with women who have experienced violence and relatives of femicide victims. Brigitta Scharinger, whose daughter Jennifer was murdered by her former partner in 2018, is also taking part.

Renate Hofer, who survived an attempted femicide, said it was important for victims to speak so society could understand what had happened and avoid misinterpreting such cases.

The group will continue walking until it reaches Michelberg on Sunday. Anyone can join for a full stage or just part of the route. The organisers said the central message was that women and girls affected by violence should not have to face it alone.