Vienna institute seeks funds to expand child abuse prevention

Vienna’s only specialist service for men with paedophilic inclinations says a lack of funding is preventing it from expanding its prevention programme. ORF reports that the Institute for Forensic Therapy is seeking public support for its work to stop child sexual abuse before it happens.

The institute’s “Don’t Become an Offender” programme is designed to reach men before they commit an offence. Treatment costs about 440 euros a month, but the institute also supports those who cannot afford the fee. Around 50 people a year receive free or reduced-cost care, says its chair, Philipp Pümpel.

Pümpel says the institute wants about 14,000 euros a month from the government so it can expand the programme and promote it more widely. The number of men contacting the service has risen since the Gunkl case. Pümpel says early support for men who recognise that their sexuality is developing towards a childlike body type can prevent victims. A funding request is being reviewed by the Health Ministry.

At Vienna Regional Court, 31 cases involving possession or distribution of child sexual abuse material were heard between January and the end of August this year. There were also 15 cases of sexual abuse of children under 14.

Those figures may represent only part of the problem. Stopline, Austria’s reporting centre, recorded more than 38,000 reports nationwide last year, including a growing number clearly involving the abuse of minors. Barbara Schloßberger of Stopline said both the number of reports and public awareness of what constitutes a criminal offence were increasing. She also called for services where potential offenders can seek help, noting that funding remains limited.