Austria recorded a slight decline in domestic violence intervention measures last year, though officials say the numbers remain alarmingly high and continue to demand urgent attention, reported by ORF News.
According to Austria’s 2025 Violence Protection Report, authorities issued 14,101 restraining and exclusion orders in cases involving domestic violence and threats within private spaces. The figure marks a small decrease from the 14,583 measures recorded the previous year.
The orders, commonly used to remove alleged offenders from homes and prevent them from approaching victims, remain one of the country’s most important tools in protecting people facing violence, especially women and children.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said violence prevention remains a major priority for the Austrian government. In a public statement released on Friday, Karner noted that the government has continued building on an already strong foundation in the country’s protection system.
Despite the slight fall in protection orders, the report also showed a rise in cases where offenders violated the restrictions imposed on them. Officials believe this increase is partly the result of stricter police monitoring and more frequent checks on compliance.
Another key part of Austria’s violence prevention strategy is the use of special police case conferences, where authorities and support organizations work together to assess high-risk situations. In 2025, Austria held 161 such conferences related to domestic violence cases, compared with 193 the year before.
Officials described the decline as a hopeful sign that preventive measures and closer cooperation between police, counseling services, and victim protection groups may be producing positive results.
Austria has also continued expanding programs aimed at working directly with offenders. More than 12,000 domestic violence cases were handled last year by violence prevention counseling centers, which also provided supervision and guidance for offenders. Authorities additionally carried out legal awareness sessions and direct support talks with victims.
Andreas Holzer, director of Austria’s Federal Criminal Police Office, stressed that the fight against domestic violence remains far from over.
“Every case of domestic violence is one too many,” Holzer said, calling violence protection a lasting responsibility for the country’s security system.
