Criticism of the Ambulance Service:

“Violence Doesn’t Follow a Schedule”

Evidence is also collected at the violence clinic for use in a potential trial.(Bild: Martin A. Jöchl)

After a rape victim was turned away and the incident was reported by the “Krone,” momentum quickly built toward establishing a sexual assault clinic in Linz. After the first three months, an initial assessment has been made—and there’s no shortage of criticism.

“Violence doesn’t follow a duty roster; it doesn’t happen only during the day or only on weekdays. Quite the contrary: Violence most often occurs when couples and families are at home—that is, in the evenings and on weekends”—SP Women’s Spokesperson Renate Heitz speaks of “misplaced priorities” at the domestic violence clinic at Linz University Hospital, which opened on January 14.

16 women came in person
This is because the center is only open four weekdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. According to an SPÖ inquiry to Health Commissioner and Deputy Governor Christine Haberlander (ÖVP), 16 women have since sought help in person at the center, and another five by phone. Haberlander emphasizes that the Domestic Violence Center is always reachable by phone and that trained staff—especially for evidence collection—are available even outside of regular hours.

Short-staffed and an Uncertain Future
Criticism has also been directed at staffing levels: The domestic violence clinic was allocated five hours per week of forensic medicine support and one part-time “forensic nurse.” The future of the clinic is uncertain, as a pilot project by the Salzburg Institute of Forensic Medicine—which is also responsible for Upper Austria—is currently being developed for hospitals in Salzburg. It is possible that mobile teams and telemedicine will play a role in the future. According to the SP women’s spokesperson, more needs to be done to ensure that potential victims are even aware of the center’s existence.