RAXEN Focal Point for Austria National Report 2005 - Land Tirol [PDF]

RAXEN Focal Point for Austria Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights – Research Association (BIM-FV) Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für Menschenrechte - Forschungsverein in co-operation with the

Department of Linguistics (University of Vienna) Institut für Sprachwissenschaft der Universität Wien and the

Institute of Conflict Research (IKF) Institut für Konfliktforschung

RAXEN 6

National Report 2005

Contracting Body

European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC)

Vienna, October 2005

RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

Executive Summary This report was written at the beginning of October 2005 and describes the most recent available data for each of the five areas: legislation, employment, education, housing, and racist violence and crimes. Data on discriminating and racist treatment in employment, education and housing is provided in a rather unsystematic way dispersed over NGOs working in different fields or is not available at all. The establishment of new specialised bodies covering among others the grounds of ethnic belonging and religion might lead to an improved situation with regard to availability of data. The Migration Policy Group described the labour market situation of aliens as furthest from the EU-average in terms of labour market inclusion, antidiscrimination was classified as an area of particular weakness. Populist statements and campaigns identified migrants and asylum seekers as scapegoats responsible for high unemployment rates, which promotes racist and xenophobic tendencies. Legislation has still not been amended to guarantee eligibility in works council and Chamber of Labour elections for all aliens. The data of the official body responsible for monitoring working conditions shows that violations are most often registered in branches with a high share in alien employment, just like private households, which do not fall within the competency of this official monitoring body. Good practices focus on the empowerment of migrants and asylum seekers as well as on raising awareness among relevant actors on the labour market for the special needs but also the potential of a diverse labour force. The situation in school education remains largely unchanged in 2005. Research confirms the disadvantaged position of migrants. The interest in education in minority languages is on the rise. Compulsory German courses imposed on adult migrants in connection with access to the right to stay apply on a small group. Relevant legislation has been aggravated, posing higher demands on a bigger target group. Meanwhile, voluntary courses find a wide audience. A survey among adult education institutions has shown that going beyond German courses, migrants are hardly perceived as potential customers. A lot of legislative measures adopted in 2005 transpose several EU directives and framework decisions. Eight of the nine federal provinces implemented the two EU anti-discrimination directives. In September 2005, the Act on the Liability of Legal Persons passed the National Council. Several provisions for the protection of the victim will come into force in January 2006. The Aliens’ Rights Package 2005 entails provisions implementing the Council Directive on the right to move and reside freely of EU citizens and their family members in the territory of the Member States. The package also brings some amendments in the federal care system of asylum seekers. The federal provinces adopted legislation concerning access to the social assistance system for EU citizens. Third-country nationals have a conditioned access to the social assistance system and therefore to health care. Furthermore, there are no provisions

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

entitling third-country nationals to voting rights. The adoption of a constitutional provision will be necessary, which will require a two-third majority in the National Council. Access to the housing market for third country nationals and asylum seekers is more limited than that of Austrian citizens. Since May 2004, state provisions have been in force that shall guarantee basic care to asylum seekers and foreigners in need, including accommodation. NGO experience confirms the new regulation in fact eased the situation of some asylum seekers in danger of homelessness. Debates criminalising asylum seekers lend themselves to stimulating fear and xenophobic tendencies among the population. Such trends clearly manifested themselves in conflicts over the accommodation of asylum seekers in different cities and communes. The Wohndrehscheibe experienced undisguised discrimination against foreigners on the part of gate keepers on the private housing market in Vienna. Neither official nor unofficial sources can picture the whole scale of racist violence, antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents in Austria. Especially visible ethnic and religious minorities belong to the group of victims. There is no comprehensive information on perpetrators; actual and potential perpetrators can be found in the right-wing extremist groups.

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

Table of Contents 1 TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS...........................................................................7 2 FIVE MAIN AREAS.................................................................................................10 2.1 EMPLOYMENT ..............................................................................................10 2.1.1 The situation regarding racism and xenophobia in employment............10 2.1.1.1 2.1.1.2 2.1.1.3 2.1.1.4 2.1.1.5 2.1.1.6 2.1.1.7 2.1.1.8

2.1.2

New sources ............................................................................................. 11 Most significant official and unofficial statistical data............................. 12 Most significant reports............................................................................ 12 Special public bodies................................................................................ 14 Positive public measures addressing the needs of religious minority groups at the workplace ....................................................................................... 15 Participation of immigrants in trade unions.............................................. 15 Official body monitoring working conditions .......................................... 16 Trafficking of illegal workers and children used as labour force ............. 17

Significant initiatives and good practices...............................................18

2.1.2.1 2.1.2.2 2.1.2.3

EQUAL .................................................................................................... 18 Series of workshops by the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights. ................................................................................................................. 18 Employment – Education – Anti-discrimination ...................................... 19

2.2 EDUCATION ..................................................................................................20 2.2.1 Racism and discrimination in education ................................................20 2.2.2 Available sources of data and information.............................................20 2.2.3 Statistical data ........................................................................................20 2.2.3.1 2.2.3.2 2.2.3.3 2.2.3.4 2.2.3.5

2.2.4

Reports....................................................................................................23

2.2.4.1 2.2.4.2 2.2.4.3

2.2.5

Pre-school education ................................................................................ 21 School education of migrants ................................................................... 21 School education in minority languages................................................... 21 University education ................................................................................ 22 Compulsory and voluntary German courses............................................. 22 Charter for Regional or Minority Languages ........................................... 23 Research on second generation migrants.................................................. 24 Survey on adult education institutions and migrants ................................ 25

New developments in state provisions ....................................................25

2.2.5.1

Access to university and fear of being overwhelmed by German students .. ................................................................................................................. 26

2.2.6 Religious symbols in schools ..................................................................26 2.2.7 Examples of initiatives and good practice ..............................................27 2.3 LEGISLATION ...............................................................................................29 2.3.1 Legal Provisions transposing Directives 2000/43/EC and 2000/78/EC in 2005 ........................................................................................................29 2.3.1.1

2.3.2

2.3.2.1

2.3.3 2.3.4 2.3.5

Protection of and assistance to victims..................................................... 31

Transposition of Council Directive 2004/38/EC ....................................32 Transposition of Council Directive 2003/9/EC ......................................33 Situation of the most important religious congregations........................34

2.3.5.1 2.3.5.2 2.3.5.3 2.3.5.4

2.3.6

Involvement of NGOs .............................................................................. 30

Transposition of Council Framework Decision 2002/620/JHA..............30

Legal Provisions common to the most important religious congregations34 Catholics .................................................................................................. 35 Muslims.................................................................................................... 35 Jews.......................................................................................................... 36

“Readmission Agreements” with non-EU Member States .....................36

2.3.6.1

Number of deportations and voluntary repatriation.................................. 37

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

2.3.7

Legal provisions limiting health services access of immigrant groups, refugees and asylum seekers...................................................................37 2.3.8 Voting rights of immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees from non-EU Member States in municipal elections ....................................................38 2.3.9 Publications............................................................................................39 2.3.10 Good practices...................................................................................39 2.4 HOUSING ......................................................................................................41 2.4.1 Situation regarding racism and xenophobia in housing.........................41 2.4.1.1 2.4.1.2 2.4.1.3 2.4.1.4 2.4.1.5

2.4.2

New sources ............................................................................................. 41 Most significant official and non-official statistics .................................. 41 New provisions for accommodation of asylum seekers ........................... 42 Homes for asylum seekers in public debate ............................................. 43 Most significant reports............................................................................ 44

Significant initiatives and good practices...............................................45

2.4.2.1

Emergency flats........................................................................................ 45

2.5 RACIST VIOLENCE AND CRIMES ....................................................................47 2.5.1 New sources of data and information .....................................................47 2.5.2 Data on racist violence and crimes ........................................................48 2.5.2.1 2.5.2.2

2.5.3 2.5.4 2.5.5 2.5.6 2.5.7

Official sources ........................................................................................ 48 Non-official sources ................................................................................. 48

Data on Islamophobia ............................................................................49 Data on Antisemitism..............................................................................49 Groups of victims and perpetrators ........................................................50 Publications............................................................................................51 Initiatives / good practices against violence...........................................51

ANNEX 1 – ELECTION CAMPAIGNS ....................................................................53 ANNEX 2 – TABLES ...................................................................................................57 ANNEX 3 – THREATENING LETTER....................................................................68 ANNEX 4 – PROBLEMATIC STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT.............................................................................................................70 ANNEX 5 – LIST OF INCIDENTS ............................................................................73 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................97

Figures Figure 1: Safety in Graz .....................................................................................53 Figure 2: Vienna first of all instead of Turkey’s accession to the EU ...............53 Figure 3: Free women instead of forced wearing of the headscarf ....................53 Figure 4: Duel over Vienna................................................................................55 Figure 5: Work instead of immigration..............................................................56

Tables 5

RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

Table 1: Overview of EQUAL I projects ...........................................................57 Table 2: Overview of EQUAL II projects..........................................................61 Table 3: Permits to stay and integration agreements in Austria 2003 - 2005.....63 Table 4: Attained education levels of 16-24 year olds, percentages ..................64 Table 5: Professional positions of 16-24 year olds, percentages........................65 Table 6: Number of Persons contacting the OET on grounds of racial, ethnic or religious discrimination (01.03.2005 – 20.09.2005) ..........................................66 Table 7: Recorded racist, xenophobic or antisemitic crimes listed by motivation ............................................................................................................................66 Table 8: Number of complaints against individual persons ...............................66 Table 9: Number of convicted persons for hostile incitement and Wiederbetätigung under the Prohibition Statute ...............................................................66 Table 10: Incidents reported to the Meldestelle für Wiederbetätigung on rightwing extremist activities and web-sites..............................................................67 Table 11: Islamophobic incidents 2004 – October 2005, ...................................73 Table12: Antisemitic incidents November 2004 – October 2005, .....................77 Table 13: Other racist and right-wing extremist incidents, media reported cases January through October 2005 ...........................................................................80

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

1 Trends and developments On 04.05.2005, the European Court of Justice1 sentenced Austria for its insufficient transposition of Directive 2000/43/EC within the time limit set. By October 2005, the two new key posts in the equal treatment bodies of the federal state have been filled and anti-discrimination contact points or commissioners for equal treatment have been established in 52 federal provinces. The establishment of these bodies was not accompanied by broad media coverage, which does not heighten accessibility for groups affected by discrimination on the grounds of ethnic belonging and religion. The third ECRI report on Austria states that public debate in the political arena and the media with regard to asylum seekers, non-EU citizens and other minority groups has often been characterised by racist and xenophobic overtones and that racism and racial discrimination still affects the daily lives of members of minority groups – especially people of African descent, Muslims and Roma3. The Republic of Austria’s reaction to the report showed a certain unwillingness to attend to the problem of racism and xenophobia. This attitude was also displayed at the ECRI round table in Vienna on 13.09.2005, where political and administrative representatives were quite positive about the tightening of legal provisions in the Aliens’ Rights Package and the Citizenship Act and classified them as adequate reactions to ECRI’s report. The amendment of the Asylum Act4 lead to further restrictions in access to asylum and was legitimised in political discourse by the fight against asylum abuse. Among other institutions the UNHCR criticised the law for its spirit of mistrust5. The fostering of asylum abuse in political and public debates goes hand in hand with criminalising asylum seekers a trend already visible in 2004. Representatives of different parties and media accuse asylum seekers of being “illegal migrants” allegedly looking for a job6 and/or of being responsible for the rise in criminal offences7. 1 2 3

4 5 6

EuGH / C-335/04, (04.05.2005), available at: http://curia.eu.int, (20.05.2005) Lower Austria, Styria, Upper Austria, Vienna, Vorarlberg ECRI (2005), Third report on Austria, Adopted on 25 June 2004, Strasbourg, available at: http://www.coe.int/t/E/human_rights/ecri/1-ECRI/2-Country-bycountry_approach/Austria/Austria%20third%20report%20-%20cri05-1-1.pdf, (18.03.2005) Fremdenrechtspaket 2005 – Austria / BGBl I 100/2005, (16.08.2005) derStandard.at, (07.04.2005), „Geist des Misstrauens“, available at: http://derStandard.at/?id=2005823, (07.04.2005) nachrichten.at, (19.01.2005), „Begnadigter Sträfling erhielt nach Haft Asyl“, available at: http://www.nachrichten.at/archiv?query=shlyc:client/ooen/ooen/textarch/j2005/q1/m01/t19/pl/s025/001_001.dcs&ausgabe=LI/&datu m=19.01.2005&seite=Nachrichten&set=3, (10.10.2005); diepresse.com, (15.04.2005), „Gusenbauer zur Asyl-Einigung: ‚Vernünftiges Gesetz’“, available at: http://www.diepresse.at/Artikel.aspx?channel=p&ressort=i&id=492599, (10.10.2005); diepresse.com, (15.04.2005), „Interview [mit Helene Partik-Pable]: ‚Asylwerber zu gemeinnütziger Arbeit einsetzen’“, available at: http://www.diepresse.com/Artikel.aspx?channel=p&ressort=i&id=476321, (10.10.2005); ÖVP-Oberösterreich, (01.07.2005), „NR Ellmauer: Kampf dem Missbrauch und mehr Hilfe

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

The developments and discussions in the political arena have been strongly influenced by elections in 3 federal provinces. The Freedom Party (FPÖ) focused their election campaigns very much on issues fomenting xenophobic and racist tendencies. The posters presented in Vienna illustrated the in-group (“real Viennese”) versus the out-groups (e.g., Turkish migrants, Muslims, those not fluent in German, asylum seekers). In Graz, Styria, one of the FPÖ posters showed an old man with a bleeding head wound (see Annex 1, Figure 1) alluding to Graz no longer being safe. 2005 is the so called commemoration year (Gedenkjahr), in which Austria remembers the founding of the Second Republic in 1945, the conclusion of the State Treaty of Vienna in 1955 and 10 years of EU membership. Realpolitik has not in all aspects agreed (for exceptions see section on legislation) with the promotion of Vergangenheitsbewältigung (coming to terms with the past). Statements of 2 members of the Bundesrat, the second chamber of the Austrian Parliament, relating to WW II sparked fierce criticism from all political camps. Such testimonies show that the relationship between Jews and Austrians are still not back to normal and awareness raising is still necessary8. The decision of the Constitutional Court taken in 2001 regarding the right of the Slovenian minority in Carinthia to bilingual place name signs has still not been implemented and the State Treaty guaranteeing this right is still awaiting its full realisation9. Only 10 per cent (EU-average 35%) of the Austrian population are in favour of Turkey becoming an EU Member State10. The think tank European Stability Initiative stated that the refusal to talk about possible chances and advantages of Turkey’s accession was quite unique compared to other EU Member States11. In how far, factual concerns mix with Islamophobia and xenophobic tendencies towards Turkey, which are taken up by the Viennese FPÖ in their election campaign (examples of posters see Annex 1, Figures 2 & 3), cannot be determined based on empirical data available at this point in time. Two asylum seekers of African descent on hunger strike died in detention pending deportation. The 37 year old Algerian is said to have committed suicide

7 8 9 10

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für Asylanten“, available at: http://www.ooevp.at/opencms/jsp/top_news/shownews.jsp?optype=eventsubmit_doshownew s&news_id=3331, (10.10.2005); ORF ON, (04.07.2005), „Asyl: FPÖ [HC Strache] mit massiver Kritik“, available at: http://volksgruppen.orf.at/volksgruppen/integration/stories/31747, (10.10.2005) derStandard.at, (07.06.2005), „BZÖ-Sprecher Scheuch: Grüne gestehen Fehler in ihrer Asylpolitik ein“, available at: http://derStandard.at/?id=2070567, (07.06.2005) Muzicant, A. (2005) „Österreich ist anders”, in: Der Standard, (03.05.2005), p. 31 Austria / VfGH / G 213/01-18, (13.12.2001), available at: http://www.vfgh.at/cms/vfghsite/attachments/9/8/8/CH0006/CMS1108400716489/g213-01ua.pdf, (13.10.2005) Europäische Kommission (2005), Eurobarometer 63.4: Die Öffentliche Meinung in der Europäischen Union – Frühjahr 2005: Nationaler Bericht Österreich, available at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/public_opinion/archives/eb/eb63/eb63_nat_at.pdf, (13.10.2005), pp. 33-37 derStandard.at, (03.10.2005), „Studie: Argument für den Türkei-Beitritt ‚ziehen’ in Österreich nicht“, available at: http://derstandard.at/?url=/?id=2193351, (13.10.2005); European Stability Initiative see http://www.esiweb.org/turkeyaustria/, (13.10.2005)

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

in a Viennese police prison12. The 18 year old Gambian died in an isolation cell in Linz. The NGO platform Zivilcourage suspected that the Gambian died because the cell was overheated13. A new expert opinion on the causes of the death of Cheibani Wague, who died in July 2003, became known to the public in October 2005. In July 2005, the Administrative Court14 confirmed the decision of the Independent Administrative Tribunal in most points which stated that the measures taken by those involved were illegal. Contrary to the first opinion that stated that Wague died of coronary failure the new opinion said that he had suffocated due to the intensity and duration of his fixation by five police officers and two paramedics15. The proceedings on the ground of negligent murder under especially dangerous circumstances will be continued at the end of October 2005. In October 2005, “Operation Spring”16 a documentation on a drug raid in 1999, in which more than 100 people of African descent were arrested and almost all of them sentenced, was shown in several cinemas. It is positive that such a movie detecting inconsistencies in the justice system could be shot, as it shows interviews with a representative of the Federal Ministry of Justice, a judge, lawyers and prisoners. In reaction to the documentation, Federal Minister of Justice, Karin Gastinger (BZÖ), invited senior representatives of the judiciary for consultations. The consultations resulted in an agreement not to interfere with anything presently as the proceedings of one of the alleged drug bosses have not been finished yet17.

12 13 14 15 16 17

Der Standard, (08.03.2005), „Mysteriöser Tod eines Schubhäftlings im Polizeigefängnis Hernalser Gürtel“, available at: http://derstandard.at/?id=1976490, (08.03.2005) Rohrhofer M./E. Linsinger (2005) „Tod in Schubhaft: Zelle in Linz überhitzt“, in: Der Standard, (11.10.2005), p. 8 Austria / VwGH / 2004/11/0070, 0071 vom 26.07.2005, available at: www.vwgh.gv.at/presse/recht_presse/2005/2004_11_0070.pdf, (17.10.2005) kurier.at, (04.10.2005), „Cheibani Wague ist erstickt“, available at: www.kurier.at/chronik/1132583.php, (12.10.2005) See: http://www.operation-spring.com, (12.10.2005) Der Standard, (12.10.2005), „Gastinger rollt Drogenrazzien nicht neu auf“, p. 8

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

2 Five main areas 2.1 2.1.1

Employment The situation regarding racism and xenophobia in employment

The public debate most strongly influenced by politicians and the media focused on connecting the rise in unemployment with the number of immigrants and on labour market access of asylum seekers. These discussions were fanned by increasing unemployment rates. The debate was started in the media18 in spring 2004, when a run of new “guest workers” from Germany, especially East Germany, on the Austrian labour market was reported. Fritz Dinkhauser, president of the Chamber of Labour in the Tyrol and member of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), said in an interview with Focus TV broadcasted by Pro Sieben that the enemies of the Austrian labour market no longer came from the east but from the north19. Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel (ÖVP) followed suit in an interview with the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and said that the tense situation of the Austrian labour market was also influenced by Hartz IV as it has suddenly become more attractive for Germans to draw unemployment benefits in Austria20. In September both Alfred Gusenbauer21, chairman of the Social Democrats (SPÖ), and Chancellor Schüssel22 started to link the overall labour market situation to immigration deducing that immigration had to be reduced. Helene Partik-Pable, MP and security spokesperson of the Freedom Party (FPÖ), welcomed the Chancellor’s announcement and demanded severe reductions of all quotas23. August Gächter, migration expert from the Zentrum für Soziale Innovation, explained that immigration creates and safeguards jobs. If immigration was

18

19 20 21 22 23

Der Standard, (14.03.2005), „Die neuen Gastarbeiter sprechen Sächsisch“, p. 15; Die Presse, (02.04.2005), „Deutsche Gastarbeiter belasten Arbeitsmarkt“, p. 27, Salzburger Nachrichten, (26.04.2005), „Deutsche Arbeiter: Unter heimischen Gastarbeitern auf Rang drei“, available at: http://salzburg.com/cgi-bin/sn/printArticle.pl?xm=1518693, (08.10.2005); ORF ON, (25.06.2005), „‚Billig, willig, deutsch’“, available at: http://volksgruppen.orf.at/integration/stories/33504, (08.10.2005); Kleine Zeitung, (29.07.2005), „Vom Gast zum fleißigen Gastarbeiter“, pp. 2-3 Tirol.com, (27.07.2005), „Dinkhauser: Deutsche sind Tirols Feinde“, available at: http://www.tirol.com/wirtschaft/innsbruck/15427/index.do, (08.10.2005) Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, (16.08.2005), „‚Das ständige Runterreden in Deutschland muß aufhören’“, p. 1 Die Presse, (03.09.2005), „SP will weniger Ausländer“, p. 7 Kurier, (04.09.2005), „Kanzler bremst bei Zuwanderung“, p. 3 ORF ON, (05.09.2005), „Partik-Pable will breite Quotensenkung“, available at: http://volksgruppen.at/integration/stories/37515, (08.10.2005)

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stopped, the economic growth would further cave in, employment would grow more slowly and unemployment would sturdily increase24. The question of further limiting access to the labour market for asylum seekers was raised at the beginning of 2005. The Aliens’ Employment Act provides that asylum seekers have access to the labour market 3 months after filing an asylum application25. An accompanying ordinance regulation however limits the issuance of permits to seasonal and harvesting work. In connection with the Aliens’ Package (see legislation) it was determined that asylum seekers can only obtain an initial work permit and no longer a work entitlement (Arbeitserlaubnis), which makes the employee less dependent on his/her employer. The Social Democratic mayor of Vienna, Michael Häupl, suggested that all who legally reside in Austria, including asylum seekers, should have legal access to the labour market26. Martin Bartenstein, Federal Minister of Economic Affairs and Labour (ÖVP), warned Häupl that the Viennese labour market would be put under extreme pressure and Heinz-Christian Strache, chairman and front runner of the FPÖ for the Viennese elections said that the labour market would be flooded by asylum seekers27. The FPÖ’s election campaign in Vienna focuses on the issue of migration and clearly works with typical patterns of prejudice: Häupl is associated with a mosque and therefore the aliens, whereas Strache with Saint Stephan’s Cathedral a traditional Viennese landmark also representing Catholicism (see Annex 1, Figure 4). All these populist statements and campaigns identify aliens as the scapegoats responsible for high unemployment rates (see Annex 1, Figure 5) and promote racist and xenophobic tendencies among the population. In contrast, the new provisions of the Equal Treatment Act (ETA) with regard to ethnic belonging and religion have not been mentioned in public debate, not even when the ombudsperson responsible for discrimination on the labour market took up office.

2.1.1.1

New sources

A new source of information is the Ombud for Equal Treatment Irrespective of Ethnic Belonging, Religion and Belief, Age and Sexual Orientation in Employment (OET II), which was established in March 2005. Although the publication of a report is only scheduled for 2007, information on contacts and further pursuance of cases is available on a bilateral basis. For the purpose of the Annual Report the Austrian Focal Point addressed a comprehensive questionnaire following the EUMC guidelines for the National 24 25 26 27

Falter, (30.09.2005), „3 Fragen an August Gächter: ‚Einwanderung schafft Arbeit’“, p. 9 Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2005), Rückmeldung zum Informationsersuchen Focal Point 2005, Wien, unpublished manuscript, p. 72 nachrichten.at, (15.07.2005), „Häupl will Wien-Wahl zur Konfrontation mit Schüssel machen“, available at. www.nachrichten.at, (15.07.2005) ORF ON, (15.07.2005), „Alle Ausländer sollen arbeiten können“, available at: http://wien.orf.at/stories/45590, (08.10.2005)

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Report 2005 to the Austrian Liaison Officer in the Federal Chancellery. With regard to employment the questionnaire contained 13 questions. The Chancellery supplied the RAXEN Focal Point for Austria with a 90 pages’ report28 in response to the questionnaire.

2.1.1.2

Most significant official and unofficial statistical data

Official statistics displaying the extent of discrimination in employment are still not publicly available. As of 20.09.2005, the OET II has dealt with 207 initial approaches, among which 63 concerned ethnic belonging and 2 religion, these were followed by 855 further contacts, 300 of which dealt with ethnic belonging and 5 with religion29. The only systematically documented evidence of racism in employment is the Racism Report by ZARA. In 2004, ZARA documented 907 racist incidents, 6 per cent fell in the category of employment. The 15 cases selected by ZARA for publication and the 8 cases displayed by Helping Hands Graz30, show that the most vulnerable groups in 2004 were people of sub-Saharan origin and of darker complexion. Almost 60 per cent of the victims of discrimination were men. Most frequently discrimination occurred in connection with dismissals, harassment sometimes culminating in physical violence (Körperverletzung), access to vocational training, pay, conflicts with supervisors and customers. Other discriminatory treatment comprised access to employment, the allocation of tasks, working conditions as well as victimisation. A bar owner of African descent had to endure unusually frequent police controls, which were quite disturbing for his customers. Although the Independent Administrative Tribunal (Unabhängiger Verwaltungssenat) decided in favour of the bar owner, the police controls were continued. The police argued that they were necessary for deterring drug dealers and for uncovering suspicious facts. Another aspect of discrimination covered by the report are announcements of job vacancies including references to “Natives only”. Employers, agencies as well as representatives of papers publishing such announcements are of the opinion that they are not violating the law and that it is an established right to independently choose job candidates and exclude aliens.

2.1.1.3

Most significant reports

The question addressed to the Federal Chancellery whether research on racism and discrimination in employment was either commissioned or financially 28 29

30

Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2005), Rückmeldung zum Informationsersuchen Focal Point 2005, Wien, unpublished manuscript Mail by Birgit Gutschlhofer, ombudsperson for Equal Treatment Irrespective of Ethnic Belonging, Religion and Belief, Age and Sexual Orientation in Employment of the OET, (05.10.2005) ZARA, Racism Report 2004, available at: http://www.zara.or.at/materialien/rassismusreport/racism-report-2004.pdf, (04.10.2005), cases no 117-131, 191, 195, 200, 201, 202, 203, 212, 214

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supported by any ministry, provincial government or social partner organisation was left unanswered31.

2.1.1.3.1

European Civic Citizenship and Inclusion Index

The authors of the study32 stated that “Austria’s performance over all five strands of policy indicators (labour market inclusion, long-term residence, family reunion, nationality and anti-discrimination) is below the European average for each strand”, and it is “furthest from the average in terms of labour market inclusion”. It is beneath European average in terms of access and eligibility (where its score is moderately unfavourable), although also belowaverage on other strands. It nonetheless has a moderately favourable performance on security of employment status”. “Anti-discrimination is an area of particular weakness, with performance below the European average across all sections, most clearly pro-active policies, definitions and scope.”

2.1.1.3.2

Discrimination on the Viennese labour market

This study33, which was conducted within the framework of the EQUAL-project Equal opportunities in companies, deals with the framework conditions migrants face in their every day employment situation on the Viennese labour market. It tries to answer five central questions: 1) How relevant is racist discrimination and discrimination on the ground of ethnic origin on the Viennese labour market? 2) What are the determining factors making discrimination at company level more or less likely? 3) Which patterns of discrimination characterise the Viennese labour market? 4) Can incidents of discrimination and their intensity be explained by contexts like industry sector, size of a company, structure of employment and other determining factors? 5) What can be made clearer by migrants’ experiences of discrimination? The research is based on an analysis of statistical data, a survey on discrimination experienced by migrants, seven expert interviews and six focus group discussions with migrants.

2.1.1.3.4

Survey on labour market perspectives and EU enlargement

The Institut für Trendanalyse und Krisenforschung conducted a survey in June and July 2005, the sample comprised 1,070 people34.

31 32

33

34

Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2005), Rückmeldung zum Informationsersuchen Focal Point 2005, Wien, unpublished manuscript Geddes, A./J. Niessen/A. Balch/C. Bullen/M. José Peiro (2005), European Civic Citizenship and Inclusion Index compiled by Laura Citron and Richard Gowan, Brussels, available at: http://www.britishcouncil.fi/pdf/brussels-european-civic-citizenship-and-inclusion-index.pdf, (04.10.2005), pp. 47-48 Manolakos, Th./K. Sohler (2005), Gleiche Chancen im Betrieb? Diskriminierung von MigrantInnen am Wiener Arbeitsmarkt, Wien, available at: http://www.gleichechancen.at/down/M1_Endbericht_WienerAM.pdf, (20.05.2005) Institut für Trendanalysen und Krisenforschung (2005), Arbeitsmarkt und EU-Erweiterung: Entwicklungen und Erwartungen, available at: http://www.itk.or.at/pdf/pressepap140705.pdf, (04.10.2005)

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

73 per cent of the respondents were of the opinion that the provisions protecting the labour market against free access of workers from 8 new EU Member States should be prolonged in 2006, only 10 per cent were in favour of free access. 29 per cent said that Austrian companies preferred employing natives to workers from EU Member States, whereas 52 per cent said that employers favoured other EU nationals. This evaluation was based on labour costs (95%), social welfare costs (42%), flexibility (20%), diligence (15%), language competence (7%), qualification (6%), reliability (5%), added value through other cultures (5%) and knowledge of the local market (4%). 56 per cent of the respondents feared that Austrian workers would be replaced by labour migrants from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and Slovenia, only 26 per cent were not of this opinion.

2.1.1.3.5

Endogenous labour market potential for internationalising Viennese enterprises

The study was commissioned by the municipal department MA 27 EU-Strategie und Wirtschaftsentwicklung of Vienna and aims at analysing the supply of migrant labour in relation to the demand for labour by Viennese enterprises as well as legal framework conditions. About 30 per cent of the Viennese population have an east or south European migratory background. On average their qualification level is lower than of the natives. Companies with transnational activities look for employees with a good formal education, satisfactory competence in German, good knowledge of English and of east European languages. The factors limiting the migrants’ potentials are certain motives of migration, lack of German language competency, age, gender and dequalification when entering the labour market. Lack in awareness among company representatives regarding the potentials of migrants is another problem identified35.

2.1.1.4

Special public bodies

The OET II consists of one employee and has been active since March 2005. The ombudsperson provides individual support to victims of discrimination. She can negotiate with employers on behalf of the victim provided that he/she agrees on such actions. These negotiations are based on the legal right to obtain relevant information from the employer, works council members and employees responsible for alleged offences of the ETA. If the OET II concludes that discrimination has taken place, it can pass the case on to Senate II of the Equal Treatment Commission (ETC), which then has to start its proceedings.

35

KMU Forschung Austria (2005), Endogenes Arbeitskräftepotenzial für die Internationalisierung Wiener Unternehmen: Einsatz von Personen mit ost- und südosteuropäischem Migrationshintergrund für grenzüberschreitende Aktivitäten, Vorläufiger Endbericht, Wien, unpublished manuscript, pp. 1-6

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

The OET can make recommendations (e.g., amendments of the ETA) and autonomously publish reports based on its observations. It can furthermore undertake independent research on discrimination issues, which is however infeasible due to budget constraints.

2.1.1.5

Positive public measures addressing the needs of religious minority groups at the workplace

In 2004, the Federal Ministry of Defence issued an announcement36 regarding the drafting, the deployment and treatment of members of religious minorities such as the Jewish Faith Community, the Islamic Faith Community, the Sikhs and the Seventh-day Adventists, who are involved in basic military service or any other kind of military training. The announcement regulates religious requirements like food, time of prayer, rooms of prayer, and includes special provisions regarding obligatory times of prayer or attendance of religious events and day-releases for religious holidays. Furthermore, exemptions are guaranteed for the wearing of religious headgear, beards and scalp hair. In March 2005, a regulation concerning the working hours of the staff employed in the Federal Ministry of Defence (Zentralstelle) referred to the above mentioned announcement and included provisions regulating leave of absence with regard to religious holidays of different religious groups37.

2.1.1.6

Participation of immigrants in trade unions

The Austrian Trade Union Congress (Österreichischer Gewerschaftsbund – ÖGB) is the umbrella organisation of 13 trade unions and has 1.4 million members38. The ÖGB does not distinguish its members according to their citizenship39. As third country nationals were totally excluded from becoming works council members and only recently have third country nationals of privileged status acquired access to suffrage, there are virtually no migrants that can be classified as activists in the unions40. The Austrian Metal and Textile Workers’ Union started registering its new members by citizenship in 2000, the share of aliens among the new members amounts to 7.4 per cent41. 36

37

38

39 40 41

Österreich, Bundesministerium für Landesverteidigung, 65. Dienstbetrieb; Behandlung religiöser Minderheiten – Einberufung und Verwendung; zusammenfassende Richtlinien – Neufassung, GZ S93109/7-FGG1/2004, VBl I 65/2004, (16.06.2004) Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2005), Rückmeldung zum Informationsersuchen Focal Point 2005, Wien, unpublished manuscript, p. 9 and phone call to representative of the Federal Ministry of Defence, (05.10.2005) Österreichischer Gewerkschaftsbund, http://www.oegb.at/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=OEGBZ/Page/OEGBZ_Index&n=OE GBZ_2, (06.10.2005) and phone call to a representative of the Austrian Metal and Textile Workers’ Union, (05.10.2005) Fulton, L. (2003), Migrant and ethnic minority workers: Challenging trade unions, available at: http://www.etuc.org/IMG/zip/migrant.zip, (06.10.2005), p. 33 Fulton, L. (2003), Migrant and ethnic minority workers: Challenging trade unions, available at: http://www.etuc.org/IMG/zip/migrant.zip, (06.10.2005), p. 43 Phone call to a representative of the Austrian Metal and Textile Workers’ Union, (14.10.2005)

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

In 2004, the ECJ42 made clear that Austria could no longer deny eligibility in works council elections to citizens of states with Association Agreements. On 11.05.2005, representatives of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) and the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) launched a private bill43 suggesting the necessary changes in sec 53 of the Labour Constitution Act44. So far, the bill has been assigned to the competent committee and no further steps have been taken.

2.1.1.7

Official body monitoring working conditions

The Office of Labour Inspection is the official body responsible for monitoring working conditions. It covers company premises and any kind of working places. Their field staff consists of more than 300 labour inspectors45. However, they do not differentiate between natives and immigrants, refugees or asylum seekers. The data displayed in the Office’s annual report demonstrates that violations of technical and hygienic protection provisions as well as of general and group specific provisions (e.g. children, youth, pregnant women) on working hours and rest periods are most often registered in branches, where the percentage of alien employment is above average46. These branches include tourism, trade, the construction industry and business oriented services. An area not monitored by the Office are private households, which have quite a high share in alien employees. In 2002, a new control unit for illegal employment of aliens was set up in the Federal Ministry of Finance. It is called Kontrollstelle für illegale Ausländerbeschäftigung (KIAB) and employs about 160 staff members. It monitors the compliance with provisions of the Aliens’ Employment Act47. In 2004, 23,000 controls were conducted, 6,204 illegally employed migrants were spotted, 3,700 complaints were filed against companies and administrative authorities imposed fines amounting to € 13.5 mio48. The illegally employed 42

43

44 45

46

47 48

ECJ / C-465/01, (16.09.2004), available at: http://curia.eu.int/jurisp/cgibin/gettext.pl?lang=en&num=79959083C19010465&doc=T&ouvert=T&seance=ARRET, (06.10.2004) Antrag der Abgeordneten Mag. Tancsits, Walch und Kollegen betreffend ein Bundesgesetz, mit dem das Arbeiterkammergesetz 1992 und das Arbeitsverfassungsgesetz geändert werden, (11.05.2005), available at: http://www.parlinkom.gv.at/pls/portal/docs/page/PG/DE/XXII/A/A_00607/fname_040954.p df, (07.10.2005) Arbeitsverfassungsgesetz – Austria / BGBl 471/1992 Österreich, Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Arbeit, Tätigkeitsbericht der Arbeitsinspektion im Jahr 2003, Wien, available at: http://www.arbeitsinspektion.gv.at/NR/rdonlyres/4EAA3C47-9390-49F9-BC48723C01D3ECB4/0/jb2003.pdf, (05.10.2005), p. 4 Österreich, Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Arbeit, Tätigkeitsbericht der Arbeitsinspektion im Jahr 2003, Wien, available at: http://www.arbeitsinspektion.gv.at/NR/rdonlyres/4EAA3C47-9390-49F9-BC48723C01D3ECB4/0/jb2003.pdf, (05.10.2005), pp. 174-177, 182-183 Ausländerbeschäftigungsgesetz – Austria / BGBl 218/1975 last amended by BGBl I 104/2005, (19.08.2005) Bundesministerium für Finanzen, (18.04.2005), Presseaussendung: „Grasser: ‚Sagen dem Lohndumping den Kampf an’“, available at:

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

migrants face bad working conditions, low or no pay, acquire no title to any social welfare benefits and can be expelled on the basis of the Aliens’ Act49. This happened to about 1,400 people in 200450. A brochure published by the Federal Ministry of Finance gives the impression that illegal employment is primarily an offence committed by the employee and not the employer. The brochure states that “illicit workers are at work”, “’cheap’ labour from the east without any legal work permits steal legal aliens willing to work their jobs”, “they do not pay taxes and do not pay their share in social insurance”, some of them become “real social spongers”51.

2.1.1.8

Trafficking of illegal workers and children used as labour force

The statistics52 show that 238 complaints (2003: 169) were filed with regard to trafficking (sec 104a Penal Code) and 106 alleged criminals were identified in 2004. Almost 90 victims were associated with these complaints, all being female except for one and falling into the age categories 14 to 17 (5.7%), 18 to 20 (23.9%), 21 to 24 (33.0%) and 25 to 39 (36.4%). According to information provided by the Chamber of Labour the problem of trafficking in illegal workers cannot be quantified, but on a qualitative scale it can be said that embassy and private households are potential employers for victims of trafficking. The Interventionsstelle für Betroffene des Frauenhandels (IBF), a counselling unit for female victims of trafficking of the NGO LEFÖ, has registered an increase in victims of trafficking employed in private households53 since the Penal Code was amended in 2004 (see legislation). A representative of the Federal Ministry of the Interior estimates that about 300 to 400 children are trafficked to Austria each year54. The traffickers pay € 2,000 to the children’s parents55. These are children from Bulgaria, Rumania, Moldova and the Ukraine, who have to acquire about € 350 each day. If they

49 50

51

52 53 54 55

http://www.ots.at/presseaussendung.php?schluessel=OTS_20050418_OTS0058&ch=politik, (10.10.2005) Fremdengesetz – Austria / BGBl I 75/1997, (14.07.1997), last amended by BGBl I 100/2005, (16.08.2005) Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Asyl- und Fremdenstatistik 2004, Wien, available at: http://www.bmi.gv.at/downloadarea/asyl_fremdenwesen_statistik/Jahr2004.pdf, (05.10.2005), pp. 87-88 Österreich, Bundesministerium für Finanzen (2004), Betrugsbekämpfung aktiv und offensiv, Wien, available at: https://www.bmf.gv.at/Publikationen/Downloads/BerichteBilanzen/Betrug2003.pdf, (05.10.2005), p. 9 Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Kriminalitätsbericht, Statistik und Analyse 2004, Wien, pp. B2-B3, B 20 Phone call to a representative of IBF – LEFÖ, (06.10.2005) Kleine Zeitung, (16.04.2005), „Kinderhandel: Immer mehr Opfer aus Bulgarien“, available at: http://www.kleine.at/nachrichten/chronik/artikel/_686237/index.jsp, (06.10.2005) ORF ON, (16.04.2005), „Kinderhandel – Heuer bereits über 200 Aufgriffe in Wien“, available at: http://oesterreich.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detail&channel=1&id=376281, (18.04.2005)

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

fail to achieve this goal, they face reprisals like not getting any food56. In 2004, 260 5 to 12 year old Bulgarian children were seized in Vienna57.

2.1.2

Significant initiatives and good practices

The initiatives and good practices presented were selected because they cover almost all federal provinces and attend to severe problems in relation to the labour market and discrimination on the grounds of ethnic belonging and religion. They raise awareness for the new provisions of the Equal Treatment Act and among relevant institutions with regard to integrating marginalised (e.g., migrants, Roma, asylum seekers) groups in the first labour market. The initiatives aim at integrating virtues like mutual recognition and respect into corporate, administrative and organisational cultures, enhancing inter-cultural as well as anti-racist competence and perceiving diversity as a resource. With regard to asylum seekers the projects make clear that they are to a large extent excluded from the labour market, which leads to stigmatising them as lazy and linking them with crime (see section on housing).

2.1.2.1

EQUAL

EQUAL is financed by the European Social Funds and the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Labour or the Federal Ministry of Social Security, Generations and Consumer Protection. During the first 6 months of 2005, all the projects of EQUAL I have been finished. 11 projects focused on qualification of migrants and marginalised groups such as Roma and asylum seekers, on awareness raising and diversity management in companies and other measures promoting anti-discrimination on the labour market. They all underwent selfevaluation. For an overview of the products of these projects see Annex 2 (Table 1). EQUAL II has barely started and will last until 2007, 4 development partnerships will be involved in combating racism, one of which aims at labour market integration of young Roma in Vienna and 4 more focus on measures for asylum seekers. Another one concentrates on vocational training of marginalised groups among them young migrants (see Annex 2, Table 2).

2.1.2.2

Series of workshops by the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights

The workshops focus on the new provisions of the Equal Treatment Act and are financed by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Labour and the EU Anti-discrimination Action Programme. Within the framework of this project 11 workshops were offered in the period from April to October 2005, 6 of which dealt with discrimination on the labour market and were held in Vienna, 56 57

Phone call to the Criminal Intelligence Service (Bundeskriminalamt), Central Service for Combating Illegal Immigration/Traffic in Human Being, (10.10.2005) ORF ON, (05.04.2005), „Diebskinder – Repatriierungsprogramm gefordert“, available at: http://volksgruppen.orf.at/volksgruppen/integration/Stories/28932, (06.10.2005); Der Standard, (06.04.2005), „Dramatische Zunahme von ‚Diebskindern’ – Viele auch zur Prostitution gezwungen“, p. 10

18

RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

Salzburg, Innsbruck, Graz and Linz. Two of the workshops aimed at works council members58. Each of these workshops was attended by 20 to 30 participants primarily from employee organisations, NGOs, civil servants from the federal, provincial and communal level, and representatives of the newly established equal treatment bodies. The workshops are evaluated by way of questionnaires addressed to the participants.

2.1.2.3

Employment – Education – Anti-discrimination

This project aims at raising awareness for the provisions of the new Equal Treatment Act with regard to discrimination on the labour market among people older than 40. The project involves organisations in several federal provinces (Tyrol, Carinthia, Upper Austria, Styria) specialising in different grounds of discrimination. The Zentrum für MigrantInnen in Tirol (ZeMiT) covers discrimination of older migrants. The project is financed by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Labour and the EU Anti-discrimination Action Programme and lasted from October 2004 to July 2005. It comprises an analysis of the implementation of the EU directives in the federal provinces promoting the participation of victims of discrimination, workshops on the results of the analysis with the aim of making suggestions for improvements and a final conference59. The leading partner, Steirische Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Alterswissenschaften und des Seniorenstudiums an der Universität Graz (GEFAS) is responsible for the evaluation of the project.

58 59

For further information see: http://www.univie.ac.at/bim/workshopreihe/, (08.10.2005) For more information see: ABAD = Alter Bildung Alters Diskriminierung, http://www.zemit.at/projekte/abad.php, (08.10.2005)

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

2.2 2.2.1

Education Racism and discrimination in education

As in previous years, only little data and information collecting direct evidence on racism and discrimination in education is available in Austria in the year 2005. The Racism Report 2004 of the NGO ZARA contains eight cases related to education60, a small number which yet illustrates racist incidents in different types of schools as well as in vocational training, racist remarks coming from teachers as well as pupils, the sometimes uncritical position of teachers vis à vis discriminatory content, as well as steps against discrimination taken by dedicated pupils, parents, teachers and school principals. In the experience of the Federal Ministry of Education, it is a re-occurring problem that individual teachers are of the opinion that prohibiting children from using other languages than German at school would help them in the acquisition of German. The Ministry is continuously engaged in clarifying that this is not so by means of the distribution of literature and in the framework of teacher training61.

2.2.2

Available sources of data and information

Statistics and sociological research give evidence on the situation of migrants in education. Education statistics from regional school boards inform about the teaching of the minority languages Burgenland-Croatian, Hungarian and Romany in the Burgenland and the teaching of Slovenian in Carinthia. Reports by the Council of Europe (ECRI, Charter for Regional or Minority Languages) assess the situation in Austria from an international perspective. The Federal Chancellery provided information from the perspective of the Austrian authorities for the purpose of this report upon request from the NFP.

2.2.3

Statistical data

Statistical data on the participation of non-nationals in education at different levels which also covers vocational training is usually the key source of information on the education situation of migrants in Austria. As no new school statistics broken down by citizenship and type of school were published during the period of observation, the evidence is momentarily incomplete.

60 61

ZARA, Racism Report 2004, available at: http://www.zara.or.at/materialien/rassismusreport/racism-report-2004.pdf, (04.10.2005), cases no 104, 105, 108, 112, 113, 114, 207, 209 Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2005), Rückmeldung zum Informationsersuchen Focal Point 2005, Wien, unpublished manuscript, pp. 24-25

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

2.2.3.1

Pre-school education

The publication of the PISA 200362 study by the OECD in December 200463 had continued repercussions in the Austrian public debate in 2005. Many voices called for measures to increase migrant participation in pre-school education in order to reduce problems at school level. For example, the counsellor for school matters of the federal province of Lower Austria stated that the problem consisted in foreign parents not sending their children to kindergarten64. A report written in connection to the OECD early childhood education and care project “Starting Strong” demonstrated that the pre-school child-care quota calculated for all of Austria is even higher for non-nationals than for Austrian citizens (85.8 % vs. 82.4 % in 2002)65.

2.2.3.2

School education of migrants

Statistics from previous years have shown that migrant pupils are overrepresented in lower levels of education and underrepresented in more prestigious higher levels of education, the overrepresentation in special needs education being the most troublesome66. Statistics on mother tongue education show that the numbers of classes taught in the languages of pupils with a first language other than German in 2004/05 were by 7.2 per cent lower than in 2003/0467. The quota of children with a first language other than German receiving mother tongue education cannot be calculated, as the numbers for the total size of these groups in the respective school years are not yet available. In 2004/05, mother tongue education in Romany was offered for the first time by one teacher in Vienna.

2.2.3.3

School education in minority languages

In the Burgenland, bilingual German-Croatian or German-Hungarian education is the default in primary schools in the relevant areas, with a possibility to opt out. In 2004/05, a total of 4,043 pupils participated in various forms of Burgenland-Croatian or Hungarian education in Burgenland schools (2003/04: 3,469), an additional 23 participated in classes in Burgenland Romany 62

63 64 65

66 67

OECD (2004), Learning for Tomorrow’s World. First Results from PISA 2003, available at: http://a455.g.akamai.net/7/455/1879/v1/193.51.65.71/dataoecd/1/60/34002216.pdf, (25.09.2005) Cf. RAXEN Focal Point for Austria (2005), RAXEN 5 Rapid Response No 3- Update of the National Annual Report 2004, p. 7 Die Presse, (21.06.2005), „SP-Bildungskonferenz - Ausländische Eltern boykottieren Kindergärten“, p. 2 Kromer, I./A. Pfoser (2004), Austrian Background Report on the OECD Project „Starting Strong“, Vienna: Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, available at: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/9/46/34431926.pdf, (09.10.2005), pp. 66-67 RAXEN Focal Point for Austria (2004), National Annual Report Austria, p. 25, and references cited there Waldrauch, H./K. Sohler (2005) „Der muttersprachliche Unterricht in Österreich. Statistische Auswertung für das Schuljahr 2004/05”, in: Informationsblätter des Referats für interkulturelles Lernen Nr. 5/2005, available at: http://www.bmbwk.gv.at/medienpool/3720/nr5_05.pdf, (30.09.2005)

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

(2003/04: 0)68,69. The increase is largely due to the steeply increasing numbers of pupils interested in Hungarian, a trend that is connected to the growing interest in the language in connection with neighbouring Hungary gaining importance as a new EU member state. The teaching of Romany was revived after a one year gap. In the school year 2004/05, one third of the primary school pupils in the areas of Carinthia where bilingual German-Slovene education is offered under an opting-in regulation followed this form of education70. In all types of school, a total of 3,573 pupils participated in some form of education in Slovenian (2003/04: 3,407)71.

2.2.3.4

University education

The numbers of students at Austrian universities are on the rise again after an initial slump following the introduction of general university fees in 2000. This is true for Austrian as well as for foreign students, who accounted for 16 per cent of the total student population in 2004/05 as well as in 2003/0472. Statistics only differentiate between students by citizenship but not between students resident in Austria prior to their studies and students coming to Austria for the purpose of studying. The latter can be assumed to make up for a substantive part of the foreign student population, as the education levels attained by the largest part of the migrant population in Austria are known to be lower73.

2.2.3.5

Compulsory and voluntary German courses

Since the beginning of 2003, foreigners applying for a settlement permit have been under the obligation of demonstrating sufficient knowledge of German or of committing themselves to bring proof of their linguistic competence within a defined time frame of four years maximum or face consequences reaching up to a loss of their right to stay74. Compared to the total number of settlement 68

69 70 71 72

73 74

Landesschulrat für das Burgenland, Schülerzahlen im Bereich des Minderheitenschulwesens im Burgenland, available at: http://www.lsr-bgld.gv.at/schul/daten/aps/mhs/statistikmhs.htm, (06.10.2004) Statistics provided by Landesschulrat für das Burgenland, by e-mail, (03.10.2005) See RAXEN Focal Point for Austria (2005), RAXEN 5 Rapid Response No 3- Update of the National Annual Report 2004, p. 6. No new data has since been available. Landesschulrat für Kärnten, Minderheitenschulwesen – Schülerzahlen im Schuljahr 2004/05, letter dated 21.10.2004 Österreichische Forschungsstiftung für Entwicklungshilfe (2005), Informationen zur Entwicklung der HörerInnenzahlen an den wissenschaftlichen österreichischen Universitäten, Wintersemester 2004/2005, available at: http://www.oefse.at/Downloads/publikationen/bza/0304/info_stud.pdf, (10.10.2005), data on 2004/05: preliminary figures For research results to this effect based on micro-census data, see RAXEN Focal Point for Austria (2004), National Annual Report Austria, pp. 25-26, and references cited there Sec 50 a-d Aliens Act 1997, Austria / BGBl I 126/2002 (13.08.2002). For more information, see: ICMPD (2005), Integration Agreements and Voluntary Measures. Compulsion or voluntary nature – comparison of compulsory integration courses, programmes and agreements and voluntary integration programmes and measures in Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, Vienna: ICMPD, available at:

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

permits issued or renewed, the numbers of integration agreements entered and fulfilled have been small (see Table 3). Between January 2003 and 19.08.2005, 5,370 people participated in a German-integration course as foreseen by law. Another 470 only took the required examination75. Meanwhile, affordable voluntary German courses find ample audience, like e.g. courses subsidised by the City of Vienna with 4,000 participants in the first eight months of the year 2005 alone76. There are no comprehensive statistics for all German courses in Austria. In its third report on Austria, the Council of Europe’s European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) stated with regard to the integration agreement that “the imposition of fines is not an appropriate means to persuade non-citizens to attend integration classes and that positive incentives should be regarded as a sufficient means of persuasion [...]”77. Through legislation adopted in parliament by MPs from the governing parties (the conservative Austrian People’s Party and the rightwing populist Future Alliance Austria) as well as from the Social Democrats, the linguistic requirements and required course hours (and therefore also costs to be borne by participants) will be stepped up and the possibilities for exceptions reduced as of the beginning of 200678.

2.2.4 2.2.4.1

Reports Charter for Regional or Minority Languages

Austria has ratified the Council of Europe’s European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In January 2005, the Committee of Experts published its report concerning Austria in the first monitoring cycle. The Committee finds that “the objective situation of the languages for which there is a specific legal framework, i.e. the Slovenian, Burgenland-Croatian and Hungarian languages in their respective language areas in Carinthia and in Burgenland, is considerably better than that of the other regional or minority languages”. The report points out with respect to education that “the provision of regional or minority language teaching in Vienna is in considerable need of development”79.

75 76

77

78 79

http://www.icmpd.org/uploadimg/Final_INTI_Report_electronic%20version.pdf, (06.10.2005) Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2005), Rückmeldung zum Informationsersuchen Focal Point 2005, Wien, unpublished manuscript, pp. 58-59 Rathauskorrespondenz, (03.08.2005), „Wehsely: Sprachoffensive-neu ein voller Erfolg“, available at: http://www.wien.gv.at/vtx/vtx-rkxlink?SEITE=020050803007&DATUM=20050803, (10.10.2005) ECRI (2005), Third report on Austria, adopted on 25 June 2004, Strasbourg, available at: http://www.coe.int/t/E/human_rights/ecri/1-ECRI/2-Country-bycountry_approach/Austria/Austria%20third%20report%20-%20cri05-1-1.pdf, (18.03.2005), p. 17 Austria / BGBl I 100/2005 Council of Europe (2005), European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, Application of the Charter in Austria, Initial monitoring cycle, Report of the Committee of

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

2.2.4.2

Research on second generation migrants

A sociological study investigated the social and economic situation of 16-24 year old second generation migrants across Austria80, based on a sample of 1,000 second generation migrants and a control group of 403 Austrians living in different parts of Austria81. One of the central questions concerned the analysis of education career and choice of a profession. The findings concerning education confirm the existence of ethnic inequalities known from previous research82. Almost half of the second generation migrants, but only about 30 per cent of the Austrian respondents, were found to have completed only lower secondary education (see Table 4). The group with the lowest education levels are Turkish migrants, with 56 per cent finishing their education at the end of obligatory schooling, which is the case for 44 per cent of the young people with parents from former Yugoslavia. Consequences on the position in the labour market are evident. Among young people in work, those in unskilled labour concentrate in the migrant group (see Table 5). The rate is higher for youth with a Turkish background (31 % in unqualified jobs) than for those with parents coming from former Yugoslavia (21 %). Only 10 per cent of the Austrians are working in unqualified positions. Compared to the vocational positions of their fathers, 43 per cent reached better positions, 44 per cent remained at the same level, and 13 per cent experienced a descent. The study aims at separating social from ethnical factors influencing the young people’s achievements. For example, characteristics of the parents’ lives, like a wish to return to the country of origin, the language spoken at home, their knowledge of German, a traditional style of bringing up children, or the importance attributed to religion are considered. A strong wish of the parents to return to the country of origin turns out to be the only one among these factors with a negative effect.

80

81

82

Experts on the Charter, Strasbourg, available at: http://www.coe.int/T/E/Legal_Affairs/Local_and_regional_Democracy/Regional_or_Minorit y_languages/Documentation/2_Committee_of_Experts_reports/1st_report_Austria.pdf, (06.10.2005), pp. 61-62. Note that comments by the Austrian government on the Committee’s findings are included in the report as an Appendix. Half the sample was drawn in Vienna, the other half came from Salzburg, the Tyrol and Vorarlberg. Data was collected by personal interviews. Information from Hilde Weiss, email, (06.10.2005) Weiss, H. (2005a) „Die zweite Generation: Integrationswege – Integrationserfolge?“, in: Dossier 04/2005, Wien: Katholische Sozialakademie Österreichs, pp. 12-17; Weiss, H. (2005b), Die zweite Generation: Integrationswege – Integrationserfolge, unpublished manuscript; brief project description available from homepage of the Austrian Science Fund: http://www.fwf.ac.at/de/abstracts/abstract.asp?L=D&PROJ=P16476, (05.10.2005) See e.g., Herzog-Punzenberger, B. (2003), Die zweite Generation an zweiter Stelle? Soziale Mobilität und ethnische Segmentation in Österreich – eine Bestandsaufnahme, Wien, available at: http://www.wuwien.ac.at/usr/wigesch/wfischer/personal/Metropolis/Texts/Stud2Gen_HerzogPunzenber.pdf, (10.10.2005)

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2.2.4.3

Survey on adult education institutions and migrants

The EU Equal project Qualifikation stärkt83 pursued the aim of strengthening adult migrants in their potentials relevant to vocational qualifications and to support their entry into and upward mobility on the labour market. The project work had an important starting point in the experience that institutional limitations inhibit or prevent the transfer of existing qualifications of migrants onto the Austrian labour market. A research component of the project was formed by a survey conducted among adult education institutions in Vienna offering further vocational training84. Interviews with the managers of 40 institutions were carried out to assess their experience with and knowledge about migrants as customers and as personnel. It turned out that all but one had migrants among their customers, but knowledge about the group was generally vague. Courses offered for migrants as a target group focussed on German and on basic level professional skills. These observations, together with the finding that no systematic assessments of migrants’ needs or migrants as potential customers were being conducted by the institutions, leads the study to conclude that a general perception of migrants as suffering from education deficits was prevailing and that the institutions were not aware of the immense needs of migrants for offers helping them to develop their qualifications.

2.2.5

New developments in state provisions

State provisions regarding minority and multicultural education at school level in Austria remained unchanged in 2005. The four political parties represented in the Provincial Parliament of the Federal Province of the Burgenland (Social Democrats, People’s Party, Freedom Party, Greens) agreed on a common proposal for an amendment to the Burgenland Minority School Act, planning to expand possibilities for bilingual education in the three minority languages spoken in the Burgenland (Croatian, Hungarian, and Romany). In January 2005, the Burgenland Provincial Parliament unanimously directed a motion to this effect to the federal Parliament, which is competent for amending the Burgenland Minority School Act85. At the time of writing (October 2005), the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Culture is not working on an amendment86. Legislation entering into force on 01.01.2006 steps up the requirements on the knowledge of German demanded from applicants for settlement permits87 (see 83 84

85

86 87

See: http://www.interface.or.at/qstaerkt.htm, (11.10.2005) Pohn-Weidinger, A./C. Reinprecht (2005), Migrantinnen und Migranten in Wiener Einrichtungen der Erwachsenenbildung, Institut für Soziologie der Universität Wien, available at: http://www.migrant.at/reinprecht_studie.pdf, (06.10.2005) Burgenland, Stenografisches Protokoll der 53. Sitzung der XVIII. Gesetzgebungsperiode des Landes, available at: http://www.burgenland.at/politik_verwaltung/Images/53%2E%20Sitzung_tcm23137656.pdf, (11.10.2005) Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2005), Rückmeldung zum Informationsersuchen Focal Point 2005, Wien, unpublished manuscript, p. 31 Austria / BGBl I 100/2005

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section on legislation). Draft legislation also foresees higher demands on the knowledge of German required from applicants for Austrian citizenship88.

2.2.5.1

Access to university and fear of being overwhelmed by German students

Austria has long permitted foreign nationals who did not take their school leaving exam in Austria access to Austrian universities under the condition that they must bring proof that they would be entitled to take up their studies for the specific subject they want to enrol for at a university of their home country. This also applied to EU nationals. In its judgement of 07.07.2005, the European Court of Justice declared „that, by failing to take the necessary measures to ensure that holders of secondary education diplomas awarded in other Member States can gain access to higher and university education organised by it under the same conditions as holders of secondary education diplomas awarded in Austria, the Republic of Austria has failed to fulfil its obligations under Articles 12 EC, 149 EC and 150 EC“89. For most study courses at Austrian universities, the successful conclusion of higher secondary education has long been almost the only prerequisite. The court decision sparked fears in many that Austrian universities would be overrun by Germans without access to their desired courses in Germany90. German students were referred to in public discussion as “numerus-clausus refugees” or “second rate German students”91.

2.2.6

Religious symbols in schools

The handling of religious symbols in schools remains unchanged in the year 2005. The wearing of religious clothing in schools is regarded as a matter of religious freedom in Austria. There are no legal regulations either forbidding or granting a right to wear religiously motivated clothes like a headscarf or kippah92. Pupils’ clothing must only be adequate to the requirements of the respective classes or school activities in which they (have to) participate93. Concerning religious symbols in the narrow sense of the word, the Christian faith is singled out by a regulation demanding that a crucifix must be put up in 88

89 90 91

92 93

Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Ministerialentwurf betreffend ein Bundesgesetz, mit dem das Staatsbürgerschaftsgesetz 1985 (StbG) und das Tilgungsgesetz 1972 geändert werden, available at: http://www.parlament.gv.at/pls/portal/docs/page/PG/DE/XXII/ME/ME_00340/imfname_048 987.pdf, (11.10.2005) ECJ / C-147/03, (07.07.2005), available at: http://curia.eu.int/, (17.10.2005) For a critical comment, see, e.g., M. Kopetzky (2005) „Lasset die Kinder zu uns kommen!“, in: Der Standard (20.07.2005), p. 27 Term used by Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel, cf. ORF ON, (14.10.2005), „Kanzler zu Uni-Zugang: ‚Zweitrangige deutsche Studenten’“, available at: http://www.orf.at/ticker/196825.html?tmp=18181, (14.10.2005) Mr Stifter, Mr Rochel of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, via telephone, (20.04.2004) [NFPAT0167] Sec 4(1) Schulordnung, Austria / BGBl 402/1987

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every classroom in schools where more than half of the pupils belong to a Christian religion94. No comparable provisions exist concerning other religions. There are cases where a crucifix is in fact removed in classes with a high number of Muslim pupils95.

2.2.7

Examples of initiatives and good practice

A large variety of projects and initiatives in the field of education – which is a wide field indeed - take place in Austria. These initiatives often bring together civil society actors and public authorities. They are supported by the dedication of individuals, as well as national and EU funding. The selection of projects presented below is therefore bound to be arbitrary, picking three, each one from a different area of education. One criterion is that the initiatives have either already demonstrated their effectiveness and/or sustainability. The EU Equal project Qualifikation stärkt96, mentioned above in connection to a survey among adult education institutions, developed several products that can be put to further usage by a variety of actors in adult education (the project lasted from September 2002 to September 2005). One product addresses adult education institutions with a catalogue of recommendations for intercultural opening-up97. A collection of teaching materials meant for employment market counsellors and adult education trainers in the field of vocational training offers them an opportunity for improving their own awareness for and competence in dealing with situations of intercultural contact98. The Language and Qualification Portfolio for Migrants and Refugees provides teaching materials and a handbook to be used in courses and counselling aiming at the vocational and linguistic integration of migrants99. The worksheets are provided in seven languages. Since 2001, the Federal Ministry of Education has been providing a framework for teachers to learn about the Holocaust and to intensify their reflections about its significance in the present through the project National Socialism and the Holocaust: Memory and Present100. The project acknowledges that in practice learners often react to teaching about the Holocaust and National Socialism with rejection and express a feeling of being overfed. Therefore, the project aims at an approach to teaching that furthers the active role of learners in acquiring 94 95 96 97 98 99

100

Sec 2b Religionsunterrichtsgesetz, Austria / BGBl 190/1949 as last amended by BGBl 324/1975 Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2005), Rückmeldung zum Informationsersuchen Focal Point 2005, Wien, unpublished manuscript, p. 30 See: http://www.interface.or.at/qstaerkt.htm, (11.10.2005) Empfehlungen zur interkulturellen Öffnung in der Erwachsenenbildung, see: http://www.migrant.at/qualifikationstaerkt.htm#Empfehlungen, (11.10.2005) siqua – Sensibilisierung, Information, Qualifikation, see: http://www.interface.or.at/siqua.htm, (11.10.2005) Plutzar, V./I. Haslinger (2005), Sprachen & Qualifikationsportfolio für MigrantInnen und Flüchtlinge, Wien: Integrationshaus, available at: http://www.interface.or.at/sprachen.pdf, (11.10.2005) Nationalsozialismus und Holocaust – Gedächtnis und Gegenwart, http://www.erinnern.at, (11.10.2005)

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

historical knowledge, which is regarded as a crucial prerequisite for them to integrate what they have learned into the development of their system of values. The project involves both centrally organised teacher training activities (seminars in Austria and in Yad Vashem) and the development of networks of teachers and civil society initiatives in each of the federal provinces. Until September 2005, about 730 teachers have participated in project seminars. Networks have been set up in all federal provinces except Vienna, where the network is under preparation101. Regional school boards in Austria offer counselling for migrants in questions related to schooling. The first such institution was installed in Vienna in 1985 and is currently known as Schulberatungsstelle für MigrantInnen (SBM)102. The SBM not only offers its services to pupils and parents, teachers and authorities but also other institutions involved with school education in Vienna. The services include multilingual individual counselling and support, psychological aid, information of the general public and contributions to teacher training. The SBM organises pre-school preparation groups for future primary school pupils without kindergarten experience, German courses in August for pupils to brush up their language skills before the beginning of the new school year, and learning aid groups in different subjects during the school year.

101 102

Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2005), Rückmeldung zum Informationsersuchen Focal Point 2005, Wien, unpublished manuscript, pp. 40-43 See: http://www.interface.or.at/sbm.htm, (11.10.2005)

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

2.3 2.3.1

Legislation Legal Provisions transposing Directives 2000/43/EC and 2000/78/EC in 2005

As of October 2005, almost all of the nine federal provinces adopted the required anti-discrimination legislation falling within their competence. The remaining federal province is Salzburg, which has presented a draft so far. Compared to the federal level, the provinces Carinthia, Vienna, the Tyrol and Lower Austria adopted more ambitious acts by extending the non-employment scope of the Racial Equality Directive to all discrimination grounds. In the beginning of 2005, the Anti-Discrimination Act of Carinthia came into force103. The Tyrol published its Anti-Discrimination Act104 and its Federal Province Equal Treatment Act105 in February 2005. Lower Austria106 followed in April 2005. Theses two provinces together with Vienna have in common that they regulate the employment and non-employment issues in two separate acts. The Anti-Discrimination Acts deal with the non-employment issues and the Equal Treatment Acts deal with employment issues of public servants at provincial level. In Upper Austria107 and Vorarlberg108 Anti-Discrimination Acts have been in force since July 2005. In both federal provinces employment and non-employment issues are dealt with in one act. Vorarlberg took on the different level of protection as established by the different scopes of the Racial Equality Directive and the Employment Equality Directive. Therefore, only discrimination on grounds of ethnic belonging falls under the non-employment scope. The Burgenland published its Anti-Discrimination Act in October 2005109. For the delayed implementation of the two directives on federal level and for the missing implementation in some federal provinces the European Court of Justice declared on 04.05.2005 that Austria failed to adopt the necessary laws and regulations to comply with the Racial Equality Directive110. Regarding the Employment Equality Directive the European Commission brought an action against Austria before the ECJ on 21.03.2005111.

103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111

Kärnten, LGBl 63/2004, (28.12.2004) Tirol, LGBl 25/2005, (01.02.2005) Tirol, LGBl 1/2005, (11.01.2005) Niederösterreich, LGBl 9290/2005, (29.04.2005) and Niederösterreich, LGBl 2060/2005, (29.04.2005) Oberösterreich, LGBl 50/2005, (06.05.2005) Vorarlberg, LGBl 17/2005, (28.05.2005) Burgenland, LGBl 84/2005, (05.10.2005) EuGH / C-335/04 (04.05.2005) EuGH / C-133/05, (21.03.2005), European Commission, Action brought against Austria

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2.3.1.1

Involvement of NGOs

In five cases victims of racial discrimination turned to the Equal Treatment Commission (ETC)112 with the help of Helping Hands Graz113 and ZARA114. One case was brought before the ETC at the end of 2004, the others in 2005. In these cases the Litigation Association for the Defence of the Rights of Victims of Discrimination (LitA)115 is involved in the proceedings having consultative function. In one case brought before a civil court regarding direct discrimination and harassment on grounds of ethnic belonging the LitA has joined the proceedings as an intervener in June 2005116.

2.3.2

Transposition 2002/620/JHA

of

Council

Framework

Decision

In Austria, sec 104a Criminal Code117 constitutes the criminal offence of trafficking in human beings. The provision was introduced into the Criminal Code in 2004118. Before, trafficking in human beings only referred to trafficking in prostitutes regulated in sec 217 Criminal Code. Slavery is covered in sec 104 Criminal Code with a penalty from ten to twenty years. Sec 104a Criminal Code mirrors the wording of Art 1 of the Framework Decision. In order to comply with the UN Protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons119 the provision additionally punishes trafficking in human beings for the purpose of removing organs. Contrary to the Framework Decision, sec 104a Criminal Code does not mention the irrelevance of the consent of the victim to the exploitation when use is made of special means such as fraud or threat to life or physical integrity. On September 28, 2005 the Act on Liability of Legal Persons (Verbandsverantwortlichkeitsgesetz)120 passed the National Council. It comes 112

113 114 115 116 117 118 119

120

The ETC originally dealt with equal treatment of women and men in the workplace. To cover the new discrimination grounds the mandate has been extended. Senate II is dealing with discrimination on grounds of ethnic belonging, religion or belief, age and sexual orientation in the workplace and held its first session at the end of May 2005. Senate III is responsible for discrimination on grounds of ethnic belonging in other areas and held its first session at the beginning of June 2005 http://helpinghands.htu.tugraz.at/, (12.10.2005) http://www.zara.or.at/, (12.10.2005) This association consist of several NGOs dealing with different grounds of discrimination, for further information see: http://www.klagsverband.at/, (06.10.2005) Österreich, Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Arbeit (2005), EU-RL 2000/43/EG, Bericht der EK, Informationen von Österreich, pp.7-8 Austria / BGBl I 60/1974 last amended by BGBl I 68/2005, (05.07.2005) Austria / BGBl I 15/2004, (01.03.2004) Available at: http://www.uncjin.org/Documents/Conventions/dcatoc/final_documents_2/convention_%20t raff_eng.pdf, (06.10.2005) Österreich, Nationalrat, Beschluss des Nationalrates über ein Verbandverantwortlichkeitsgesetz, available at:

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into force in January 2006. The Act makes every legal person (except for corporations under public law and legally recognised religious congregations) liable for any kind of criminal offence committed for its benefit. As sanctions the Act merely foresees criminal fines up to a maximum amount of € 1.8 mio. This maximum amount has been subject to harsh criticism by MPs of the Social Democratic Party and the Greens who said that it will not have any dissuasive effect on big companies or corporate groups121.

2.3.2.1

Protection of and assistance to victims

Trafficking in human beings constitutes a so-called Offizialdelikt, meaning that investigations and prosecution are carried out ex officio and are not dependent on the report or accusation of the victim. Comprehensive provisions for the protection of the victim will be introduced in 2008 with the Criminal Procedure Reform Act (CPRA)122. Some provisions already exist, such as in sec 162a and 250 Criminal Procedure Act (CPA)123 constituting a considerate hearing (schonende Einvernahme) of victims as witnesses, e.g. by using audio and video recordings. To strengthen the protection and assistance of victims before 2008, some provisions of the CPRA will come into force in January 2006124. These include the right of the victim to receive information on his/her rights and on the possibilities to get legal and psycho-social assistance (which in fact already has been offered by more than 30 specialised NGOs, such as Weisser Ring125 without legal basis but financially supported by the state). The new sec 47a para 4 CPA provides translation support for non-German speaking victims but it only refers to support regarding the criminal proceedings itself. It is not clear if translation support is also provided for the psycho-social assistance126. Legally entitled to legal and psycho-social assistance are among others all victims of violence and threat to life and limb or all persons whose sexual integrity was injured; it shall be free of charge for the victim.

121

122 123 124

125 126

http://www.parlinkom.gv.at/pls/portal/docs/page/PG/DE/XXII/BNR/BNR_00479/fname_04 9711.pdf, (07.10.2005) Parlamentskorrespondenz Nr. 717/2005, (28.09.2005), available at: http://www.parlinkom.gv.at/portal/page?_pageid=908,966934&_dad=portal&_schema=POR TAL, (07.10.2005) Austria / BGBl 19/2004, (23.03.2004) Austria / BGBl 631/1975 last amended by BGBl 164/2004, (30.12.2004) Österreich, Nationalrat, Beschluss des Nationalrates, Bundesgesetz mit die Strafprozessordnung 1975 geändert wird, available at: http://www.parlinkom.gv.at/pls/portal/docs/page/PG/DE/XXII/BNR/BNR_00482/fname_04 9720.pdf, (07.10.2005) http://www.weisser-ring.at, (07.10.2005) Verein Neustart (2005), Stellungnahme zum Entwurf eines Bundesgesetzes, mit dem die Strafprozessordnung 1975 und das Staatsanwaltsgesetz geändert werden, available at: http://www.parlinkom.gv.at/pls/portal/docs/page/PG/DE/XXII/ME/ME_00297_16/fname_04 4694.pdf, (07.10.2005) and Verein Weisser Ring (2005), Stellungnahme zum Entwurf eines Bundesgesetzes, mit dem die Strafprozessordnung 1975 und das Staatsanwaltsgesetz geändert werden, available at: http://www.parlinkom.gv.at/pls/portal/docs/page/PG/DE/XXII/ME/ME_00297_27/imfname _044618.pdf, (07.10.2005)

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Sec 104 para 4 Aliens’ Act127 provides for the possibility to grant humanitarian residence to victims of sexual exploitation in order to pursue the proceedings and to enforce their right to claim damages. From January 2006, this possibility will be extended to victims of every form of exploitation described in sec 104a Criminal Code128.

2.3.3

Transposition of Council Directive 2004/38/EC

With the recently adopted Aliens’ Rights Package 2005 (Fremdenrechtspacket 2005)129 main issues of the Directive have been transposed into national law. The respective provisions transposing directive 2004/38/EC are to be found in the newly adopted Residence and Settlement Act (RSA) and the Aliens’ Police Act. The provisions apply to EEA citizens, therefore to Union citizens as well as to citizens from Norway and Iceland. Sec 51 RSA entitles EEA citizens to a right of residence for more than three months under the same conditions as foreseen in Art 7 of the Directive. According to sec 52 RSA the right of residence also applies to family members of EEA citizens who are EEA citizens themselves. Sec 52 RSA goes beyond the obligatory scope of Art 2 para 2 of the Directive130 and includes partners (Lebenspartner) and any other family members (being dependents, who lived in the same household of the EEA citizen or require personal care due to their serious health condition) into the group of beneficiaries. Family members who are third country nationals (non-EEA citizens) enjoy the right of residence if they belong to the obligatory scope of family members. Sec 56 RSA applies to the wider scope of family members, namely to partners and other family members who are third country nationals. They are not legally entitled to a right of residence in Austria. Upon application they can receive a limited residence permit of 12 months called Niederlassungsbewilligung – Angehöriger which can be extended each year. This residence permit does not fall within the limited quota for residence permits of third country nationals. The EEA citizen applying or whose family members apply for family reunification has to render a liability statement (Haftungserklärung). The Haftungserklärung valid for five years constitutes a statement certified by a notary or national court with the purpose that the person giving the statement has to come up for all eventual expenses arising for the state, municipality or a local authority, such as health insurance, social assistance, accommodation for the family member or the costs for an expulsion of a family member. After a permanent residence of five years the family members are entitled to the right of 127

128 129 130

Austria / BGBl 75/1997 last amended by BGBl 151/2004, (30.12.2004). The Aliens’ Act is subject to annulment due to the enactment of the Aliens’ Rights Package 2005 coming into force in January 1, 2006 (see 2.3.3) See sec 72 para 2 Niederlassungs- und Aufenthaltsgesetz – Austria / BGBl 100/2005, (16.08.2005) Austria / BGBl 100/2005, (16.08.2005) Spouse; direct descendants of the EEA citizen and his/her spouse who are under the age of 21 or are dependants and dependent direct relatives of the EEA citizen and his/her spouse in the ascending line. In Austria, registered partnerships are not equally treated to marriage. Therefore, they do not fall under the obligatory scope of family members.

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permanent residence if they fulfil the Integration Agreement (Integrationsvereinbarung) regulated in sec 14 RSA (see section on education). The Integration Agreement has been subject to severe criticism because of the costs for the affected persons, its time limits and sanctions when failing to fulfil the mandatory German courses (such as fines or ultimately deportation)131. Pursuant to Art 24 of the Directive entitling Union citizens to equal treatment with nationals of the host Member State, most of the federal provinces have already amended their social assistance laws by giving EEA citizens access to their social assistance system132.

2.3.4

Transposition of Council Directive 2003/9/EC

Main aspects of the Reception Directive are regulated in the Federal Care Act and the Basic Care Agreement (BCA – (FCA)133 Grundversorgungsvereinbarung)134. The BCA is an agreement between the federal provinces and the federal government based on Art 15a Federal Constitution135. Thereafter, the federal provinces are obliged to provide for the basic care (including health care) of asylum seekers admitted to the asylum procedure or persons enjoying subsidiary protection. The crucial point of the agreement is the distribution of costs. The federal provinces pay forty per cent, the federal government sixty per cent of the costs (Art 10 para 1 BCA). If the asylum procedure lasts longer than one year, the federal government has to come up for all costs (Art 11 para 1). A statistic published recently in the media shows that more than fifty per cent of the asylum procedures last longer than one year136. The FCA refers to asylum seekers in admissibility procedures or to aliens whose asylum application has been rejected until they leave the Austrian territory.

131

132

133 134 135 136

Netzwerk Sprachenrechte (2005), Stellungnahme zum Entwurf des Niederlassungs- und Aufenthaltsgesetzes (NAG) 2005, available at: http://www.sprachenrechte.at/, (05.10.2005) and Krumm, H.-J. (2005), Stellungnahme im Rahmen des Begutachtungsverfahrens mit dem das Niederlassungs- und Aufenthaltsgesetz erlassen wird, available at: http://www.parlinkom.gv.at/pls/portal/docs/page/PG/DE/XXII/ME/ME_00266_09/fname_03 9613.pdf, (05.10.2005) See sec 7a para 2 lit d Wiener Sozialhilfegesetz, Wien – LGBl 11/1973 last amended by LGBl 15/2005, (29.03.2005); sec 4 para 2 nr 4 NÖ Sozialhilfegesetz – Niederösterreich, LGBl 9200/2000 last amended by 9200/2004, (30.06.2004) or sec 2a para 2 lit a Tiroler Sozialhilfegesetz – Tirol, LGBl 105/1973 last amended by LGBl 27/2004, (13.04.2004) Austria / BGBl 405/1991 last amended by BGBl 100/2005 (16.08.2005), renamed as Federal Basic Care Act (Grundversorgungsgesetz – Bund 2005) Austria / BGBl 80/2004, (15.07.2004) Bundes-Verfassungsgesetz – Austria / BGBl I 1/1930, last amendment by BGBl I 1013/1994, (21.12.1994) derStandard.at, (01.09.2005), „Asyl: Grundversorgung kommt Ländern billiger als gedacht“, available at: http://derstandard.at/?id=2160626, (09.10.2005)

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

The BCA applies to asylum seekers admitted to asylum procedures provided that they cannot afford to pay for their life expenses themselves or do not receive any benefits from other persons or organisations137. The Agreement is only binding upon the federal provinces and the federal government; so it does not entitle asylum seekers to any rights. It lies within the competence of the federal provinces to make the rights justiciable. In contrast, asylum seekers who are in the admissibility procedure have a right to federal care and can make appeals against restrictions or deprivations of benefits in front of the Independent Federal Asylum Review Board (sec 9 para 2 FCA). Pursuant to sec 4 para 3 no 7 Aliens’ Employment Act138 asylum seekers have access to employment if there is no decision on their application after three months if they are issued an initial work permit (see section on employment).

2.3.5

Situation of the most important religious congregations

Presently, thirteen religious groups hold the status of legally recognised religious communities: Among them are the Roman Catholic Church, the Islamic Faith Community and the Jewish Faith Community. Due to their size 139 and considering the context of this report, these congregations will be discussed below.

2.3.5.1

Legal Provisions common to the most important religious congregations

Rights and obligations of recognised religious communities are governed either by the Legal Recognition of Religious Communities Act of 1874140 or a special statute. They enjoy the status of a corporation under public law enabling them to engage in certain contractual obligations with the state as well as with private parties. Furthermore, they are entitled to certain tax exemptions. The religious communities can perform religious instruction in Austrian schools141. They are autonomous in deciding on curricula and teachers, whose salary is financed by the Austrian state. Apart from the long existing traditional institutions under the authority of the Catholic churches, the Jewish and Muslim communities, too, have founded a small number of schools at the primary and secondary levels142.

137

138 139 140 141 142

The last passage has been subject to criticism. It has been argued that the state would shift its duties on NGOs see: Huber, A./R. Öllinger/M. Steiner-Pauls (2004) Asylrecht, Die relevanten Rechtsbereiche in der Asylberatung, Wien: Manz Verlag, p. 137 Ausländerbeschäftigungsgesetz – Austria / BGBl 218/1975 last amended by BGBl 104/2005, (19.08.2005) Statistik Austria (2002), Volkszählung 2001, Hauptergebnisse I – Österreich, Wien: Verlag Österreich p. 77 Anerkennungsgesetz – Austria / RGBl. 68/1874, (20.05.1874) Religionsunterrichtsgesetz – Austria / BGBl 190/1949 last amended by BGBl 256/1993, (20.04.1993) Schools of the Jewish community, see http://www.ikgwien.at/static/unter/html/af/s_index.htm, (08.10.2005) and of the Muslim community, see http://www.derislam.at/islam.php?name=Themen&pa=showpage&pid=125 (08.10.2005)

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Recognised religious communities do not receive any additional designated state subsidies because of the principle of neutrality of the state towards religious groups143. Some Christian communities and the Jewish Faith Community are entitled to reparations according to Art 26 State Treaty of Vienna144, which obliges Austria to give back all property, capital and rights of religious communities which have been subject to confiscation under the Nazi regime. Due to this provision the Roman Catholic Church received more than € 40 mio and the Jewish Faith Community approximately € 800,000 in 2004145.

2.3.5.2

Catholics

In Austria, the Roman Catholic Church with about 5,915,421 members, amounting to 73.6 per cent of the Austrian resident population, is by far the biggest religious group. The Austrian Bishops’ Conference is the supreme governing body of the Catholic Church in Austria. The relationship between the state and the Catholic Church is governed by the Concordat of 1933146. Apart from its pastoral activity, the Catholic Church is widely active in education (religious school education, extra curricular youth education and adult education), the public health sector (hospitals staffed by nursing sisters) and in charity services147.

2.3.5.3

Muslims

The Islamic Faith Community (IFC) in Austria was founded in 1979. The legal basis for the foundation of the Islamic Faith Community is the so called Islam Act of 1912148, which formally recognises Islam as a faith community in Austria. It has the main function to represent religious interests of Muslims living in Austria before the Austrian state. The aims are the preservation and cultivation of the Islamic faith among the followers of Islam. The constitution of the IFC is the basis for its bodies and functions149. In February 2004, the construction works for a Muslim cemetery in Vienna have commenced. Vienna will spend € 600,000 to adapt the area and to build a wall around it. The Faith Community will pay for the buildings needed. As of October 2005, the construction works have not been finished150. In Styria negotiations are going on between the Islamic Faith Community Graz and the city of Graz concerning the construction of a mosque and the providing of land for this by the municipality151. 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151

Art 15 Staatsgrundgesetz – Austria / RGBl 142/1867, (23.12.1867) Austria / BGBl III 152/1955, last amended by BGBl III 179/2002, (06.08.2002) Information provided by the Kultusamt, Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Culture upon request, (05.10.2005) Concordat between the Holy See and Austria, BGBl II 2/1934 Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2000), Religions in Austria, pp. 13, 14 Austria / RGBl 159/1912 last amended by BGBl 164/1988, (24.03.1988) The constitution is available at: http://www.derislam.at/islam.php?name=Themen&pa=showpage&pid=5 , (04.10.2005) Information provided by the IFC upon request, (30.09.2005) Information provided by the IFC upon request, (30.09.2005)

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In October 2005, the biggest mosque of the federal province of Vorarlberg was opened. The construction was financed by the Muslims themselves, only the Imam will be financed by Turkey152.

2.3.5.4

Jews

The Jewish Faith Community (JFC) was founded in 1852 on the basis of a provisional municipal law. In 1890, the Jewish Community has reached recognition as a legally recognised religious community due to the Jewish Act153. As a corporate body, the JFC represents the Jewish community in religious and cultural matters before the Republic of Austria. Its organisation and functions are regulated by the community’s statute. The highest authority of the community is the Kultusvorstand. The community sees its main tasks in the maintenance and preservation of the institutions, such as schools, synagogues and cemeteries and the satisfaction of the religious needs of its members154. In May 2005, the JFC and the Austrian Republic agreed upon a payment of € 18.2 mio out of the General Settlement Fund155, which has been established in 2001 in order to provide for compensation for the victims of the Nazi regime. With this agreement long lasting negotiations and struggles between the JFC and the Austrian government have come to an end. The actual payments shall start in March 2006. In return, the JFC promised to withdraw the 777 applications to the Fund and the support for a class-action suit pending in the USA against the Republic of Austria156. In September 2005, the Jewish community in Baden has inaugurated its synagogue after long lasting restorations157.

2.3.6

“Readmission Agreements” with non-EU Member States

With following non-EU states Austria concluded “readmission agreements”: −

Bulgaria158,

−

Croatia159,

−

Romania160,

−

Switzerland and Liechtenstein161,

152

ORF ON, (09.10.2005), „Größte Moschee Vorarlbergs eröffnet“, available at: http://vorarlberg.orf.at/stories/62944/, (09.10.2005) Austria / RGBl 57/1890 last amended by 164/1988, (24.03.1988) Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2000), Religions in Austria, p. 44 http://www.nationalfonds.org/aef/english/index.htm, (04.10.2005) ORF ON, (25.05.2005), „Republik & Kultusgemeinde einig“, available at: http://volksgruppen.orf.at/integration/stories/31793/, (04.10.2005) ORF ON, (16.09.2005), „Synagoge in Baden feierlich eingeweiht“, available at: http://volksgruppen.orf.at/integration/stories/38136/, (04.10.2005) Austria / BGBl III 189/1998, (30.11.1998) Austria / BGBl III 177/1998, (01.11.1998) Austria / BGBl III 27/2002, (06.02.2002)

153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160

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−

Serbia and Montenegro162 and

−

Tunisia163.

With Nigeria negotiations are going on164.

2.3.6.1

Number of deportations and voluntary repatriation165

In 2004, 9,943 persons were deported (4,132 of them within 7 days after their entry (Zurückschiebung)) and 5,510 persons returned voluntarily. From January to June 2005, 3,043 persons were deported (920 of them within 7 days) and 2,825 returned voluntarily. According to information provided by Carinthia 44 persons have returned voluntarily in consequence of return assistance since the beginning of 2004.

2.3.7

Legal provisions limiting health services access of immigrant groups, refugees and asylum seekers

In Austria, health insurance is regulated as a compulsory insurance by law. This insurance is primarily tied up to employment166. Family members are co-insured (Mitversicherung). Furthermore, there is the possibility of voluntary selfinsurance for students (who are co-insured up to the age of 27), self-employed persons or persons in insignificant employment (geringfügige Beschäftigung). Unemployed persons who have been employed for a qualified period of time and who are willing and able to work receive health insurance on grounds of the insurance applying to unemployed persons (Arbeitslosenversicherung)167. This insurance is limited in time dependent upon the period of employment. In this insurance system no restrictions are explicitly foreseen for non-Austrian citizens as long as they fulfil the requirements for legal employment and the special conditions in the case of the unemployment insurance168.

161 162 163 164 165 166

167 168

Austria / BGBl III 1/2001, (01.01.2001) Austria / BGBl III 66/2004, (18.06.2004) Austria / BGBl III 255/1965, (01.08.1965), the agreement only refers to the readmission of nationals Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2005), Rückmeldung zum Informationsersuchen Focal Point 2005, Wien, unpublished manuscript Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2005), Rückmeldung zum Informationsersuchen Focal Point 2005, Wien, unpublished manuscript Allgemeines Sozialversicherungsgesetz – Austria / BGBl 189/1955 last amended by 108/2005, (05.10.2005). Public servants, farmers, freelancers and other professions have their own insurance laws. Arbeitslosenversicherungsgesetz – Austria / BGBl 609/1977 last amended by BGBl 71/2005, (05.07.2005) For detailed information on the actual situation of migrants and health see: Amesberger, H./B. Halbmayr/B. Liegl (2003) „Gesundheit und medizinische Versorgung von ImmigrantInnen”, in: Fassmann, H./I. Stacher (eds.) Österreichischer Migrations- und Integrationsbericht, Klagenfurt/Celovec: Verlag Drava, pp. 171-194; Baldaszti, E. (2003), Soziale Exklusion und Gesundheit von MigrantInnen in Österreich, National Report Austria, Wien: edited by IOM and Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für Frauengesundheitsforschung

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Long-time unemployed persons and others who do not fulfil the conditions for the compulsory insurance system, receive health aid (Krankenhilfe) within the scope of the social assistance systems (Sozialhilfe) regulated by the federal provinces. Beneficiaries of the Sozialhilfe are in general Austrian citizens as well as recognised refugees and EEA-citizens (see chapter 2.3.3). Third-country nationals of countries where the principle of reciprocity applies or where special conventions exist are also handled on par with Austrian citizens. Other third country nationals can obtain health aid from the social assistance system if they fulfil requirements, such as a certain period of legal residence169. Vienna having the highest resident population of non-Austrian citizens (16%170) requires a legal residence of more than three months171. However, access to social assistance for third country nationals is subject to discretion. The decision especially depends on social hardship of the relevant person. Due to internal orders, the Viennese authorities grant social assistance and therefore health aid to third country nationals after 10 years of legal residence in Austria for the period of 12 months, after a residence of 20 years for an unlimited period172. The situation for asylum seekers changed173 due to the adoption of the Basic Care Agreement (BCA) which came into force in May 2004. Today, every asylum seeker should have access to health services either within the scope of the BCA or within the federal care system (see section 2.4.5). Pursuant to Art 6 para 3 and 4 BCA and sec 2 para 4 Federal Care Act174 health services can be restricted to an emergency care if the asylum seeker seriously breaches the rules of and behaves violently in the accommodation centre.

2.3.8

Voting rights of immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees from non-EU Member States in municipal elections

The only federal province which had foreseen voting rights for third country nationals in general on local level was Vienna175. Members of the provincial parliament belonging to the Austrian People’s Party and the Freedom Party brought action before the Constitutional Court against this provision. In June 169

170 171 172 173

174 175

König, K./B. Stadler (2003) „Entwicklungstendenzen im öffentlich-rechtlichen und demokratiepolitischen Bereich, Einwanderungs-, aufenthalts- und beschäftigungsrechtliches Regime“, in: Fassmann, H./I.Stacher (eds.) Österreichischer Migrations- und Integrationsbericht, Klagenfurt/Celovec: Verlag Drava, pp. 226-260 Statistik Austria (2002), Volkszählung 2001, Hauptergebnisse I – Österreich, Wien: Verlag Österreich p. 48. Sec 7a para 3 Wiener Sozialhilfegesetz – Wien, LGBl 11/1973 last amended by LGBl 15/2005, (29.03.2005) Information provided by the Servicestelle Sozialhilfe in Vienna upon request, (11.10.2005) For the pre-existing situation of asylum seekers see: Sperl, L. (2003) „Das Recht auf einen angemessenen Lebensstandard”, in: Sperl, L./K. Lukas/H. Sax (eds.) Wirtschaftliche, soziale und kulturelle Rechte von AsylwerberInnen, Wien: Verlag Österreich, pp. 121-170 and Sperl, L. (2003) „Das Recht auf Gesundheit”, in: Sperl, L./K. Lukas/H. Sax (eds.) Wirtschaftliche, soziale und kulturelle Rechte von AsylwerberInnen, Wien: Verlag Österreich, pp. 215-222 Bundesbetreuungsgesetz – Austria / BGBl 405/1991 last amended by BGBl 100/2005 (16.08.2005) Gesetz, mit dem die Wiener Stadtverfassung und die Wiener Gemeindewahlordnung 1996 geändert werden, Vienna, LGBl 22/2003, (21.05.2003)

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2004, the Constitutional Court declared the right to vote in elections at district level for third country nationals unconstitutional176. It based its decision among others on art 26 Federal Constitution: Only Austrian citizens have a right to elect general representative bodies, among which district representatives qualify. In the future, for the broadening of voting rights to include third country nationals in elections on municipal level the adoption of a constitutional provision will be necessary. This will require a two-third majority in the National Council. An initiative to approach the federal government with a request for a change of Austria’s federal constitution has been launched by the provincial parliament of Styria177 in January 2005.

2.3.9

Publications

The first comprehensive commentary on the amended Equal Treatment Act178 and on the Act on the Equal Treatment Commission and the Ombud for Equal Treatment179 has been published in 2005. The commentary analyses the provisions of the Acts and the new grounds of discrimination, namely age, religion and origin. Furthermore, it incorporates significant literature and relevant jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice and of the Highest Court in Austria180. The Austrian Trade Union Congress and the Chamber of Labour published a guidebook for members of works councils on discrimination in the working place. The guidebook constitutes a helpful support to recognise and combat discrimination in the working field. It also considers the new legislative framework181.

2.3.10

Good practices

In June 2005, a two day-seminar was held in Carinthia for police officer trainers in basic education. The seminar was launched by the Administrative Unit for Women’s Issues of the Office of the Carinthian government within the EU cofinanced project called W.E.S.T. (Women East Smuggling Trafficking). The seminar was organised by Mountain Unlimited, Verein für gesellschaftliche Entwicklung und internationale Zusammenarbeit in co-operation with the Administrative Unit for Women’s Issues. In the seminar the outcomes of an analysis concerning trafficking in women were presented, strategies to implement these outcomes into the education of police officers and ways to 176 177

178 179 180 181

Austria / VfGH / GZ G218/03, (30.06.2004) Steiermark, Landtag (18.01.2005) Beschluss Nr. 1716, available at: http://www.stmk.gv.at/land/ltpk/parlamentar_initiativen/beschluesse/14/14_1716.pdf, (26.02.2005) Austria / BGBl I 66/2004, (23.06.2004) Austria / BGBl I 66/2004, (23.06.2004) Rebhahn, R. (ed.) (2005) Kommentar zum Gleichbehandlungsgesetz, Wien: Verlag Springer Kammer für Arbeiter und Angestellte/Österreichischer Gewerkschaftsbund (eds.) (2005) Antidiskriminierung am Arbeitsplatz, Ein Ratgeber zum Erkennen und Bekämpfen von Diskriminierungen im Betrieb, Wien: Kammer für Arbeiter und Angestellte

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

strengthen the co-operation of the police with relevant institutions were discussed182. In October 2005, a workshop will be held in Vienna within the scope of the series of workshops by the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights (see section on employment). The workshop is addressed to judges of the Labour and Social Court, the Oberlandesgericht and the Highest Court. During the workshop dealing with equal treatment and anti-discrimination legislation recent jurisprudence on national and European level as well as open questions regarding claims for damages, burden of proof and multiple discrimination will be discussed.

182

Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2005), Rückmeldung zum Informationsersuchen Focal Point 2005, Wien, unpublished manuscript. For further information on the project W.E.S.T. see: http://www.mountain-unlimited.at/west/, (09.10.2005)

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

2.4 2.4.1 2.4.1.1

Housing Situation regarding racism and xenophobia in housing New sources

The annual report 2004 of the counselling and support organisation Wohndrehscheibe provides current information on the situation of migrants on the Vienna housing market183. A new source of information is the Ombud for Equal Treatment Irrespective of Ethnic Belonging in Other Areas (OET III), which was established in March 2005. Although the publication of a report is only scheduled for 2007, information on contacts and further pursuance of cases is available on a bilateral basis. For the purpose of the Annual Report the Austrian Focal Point addressed a comprehensive questionnaire following the EUMC guidelines for the National Report 2005 to the Austrian Liaison Officer in the Federal Chancellery. With regard to housing the questionnaire contained 7 questions. The Chancellery supplied the RAXEN Focal Point for Austria with a 90 pages’ report184 in response to the questionnaire.

2.4.1.2

Most significant official and non-official statistics

Official statistics displaying the extent of discrimination in housing are still not publicly available. As of 03.10.2005, the OET III has dealt with 127 initial approaches, among which 9 concerned housing, these were followed by 368 further contacts, 45 of which covered housing185. The only systematically documented evidence of racism in housing is the Racism Report by ZARA. In 2004, ZARA documented 907 racist incidents, 4 per cent fell in the category of housing. The 13 cases selected by ZARA for publication and the 5 cases displayed by Helping Hands Graz186, show that the most vulnerable group in 2004 were people of sub-Saharan origin. Most frequently discrimination occurred by neighbours as verbal/written slander and harassment sometimes culminating in threats to life or physical condition (gefährliche Drohung) and physical violence (Körperverletzung). Other discriminatory treatment comprised access to housing and cancelling of tenancy agreements or even evictions. Four people only wanted to have their cases documented. 183

184 185 186

Volkshilfe Österreich, Wohndrehscheibe, Jahresbericht 2004, Wien: Volkshilfe, available at: http://www.volkshilfe.at/contentthema/download/wds_jahresbericht_2004_web.pdf, (06.10.2005) Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2005), Rückmeldung zum Informationsersuchen Focal Point 2005, Wien, unpublished manuscript Mail by Ulrike Salinger, ombudsperson for Equal Treatment Irrespective of Ethnic Belonging in Other Areas of the OET, (10.10.2005) ZARA, Racism Report 2004, available at: http://www.zara.or.at/materialien/rassismusreport/racism-report-2004.pdf, (04.10.2005), cases no. 92, 132-143, 196, 197, 198, 208, 213

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

2.4.1.3

New provisions for accommodation of asylum seekers

The decline of the number of asylum applications observed since a peak in 2002 continued throughout the first eight months of the year 2005, with a decrease of 19 per cent compared to 2004187. Since May 2004, state provisions have been in force that shall guarantee basic care to asylum seekers and foreigners in need, including accommodation. In 2005, on average, 27,800 people where receiving basic care188, as of 01.08.2005, the exact number was 27,983189. These numbers include not only asylum seekers but also 1,500 to 2,000 aliens that cannot be deported from Austria for legal or factual reasons190. NGO experience confirms the new regulation in fact eased the situation of some asylum seekers in danger of homelessness191. Yet the criteria specifying the prerequisites for access to basic care, or criteria for exclusion from basic care, may be inadequate and create cases of hardship192. On the basis of an unpublished catalogue of criteria, people who have already been present in Austria for a while and wish to be taken into basic care have to bring proof of their previous lodgings in the same federal province, a registration with the authorities as homeless (“Obdachlosenmeldezettel”) is not permitted193, i.e. those most in need of accommodation are excluded. The basic care agreement distributes responsibilities between the federation and the federal provinces194. In result of different approaches, e.g., the province of Carinthia foresees one person of care taking staff for every 170 people in basic care, whereas Vienna has fixed a 1 to 55 relation195. The federation is responsible for two initial reception centres for newly arrived asylum seekers. The bigger one is located at the town of Traiskirchen in Lower Austria, as of 01.09.2005, 957 asylum seekers were living there196. The living conditions at the centre, situated in former army barracks dating back to the 19th century, 187

188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196

Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres (2005), Asyl- und Fremdenstatistik August 2005, available at: http://www.bmi.gv.at/downloadarea/asyl_fremdenwesen_statistik/082005.pdf, (06.10.2005), p. 9 Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2005), Rückmeldung zum Informationsersuchen Focal Point 2005, Wien, unpublished manuscript, p. 81 derStandard.at, (01.09.2005), „Asyl: Grundversorgung kommt Ländern billiger als gedacht“, available at: http://derstandard.at/?id=2160626, (08.10.2005) Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2005), Rückmeldung zum Informationsersuchen Focal Point 2005, Wien, unpublished manuscript, p. 81 Deserteurs- und Flüchtlingsberatung, Tätigkeitsbericht 2004, available at: http://www.deserteursberatung.at/desiintern/jahresbericht_2004.htm, (08.10.2005), p. 4 See: UNHCR (2005), Stellungnahme zum Entwurf eines Tiroler Grundversorgungsgesetzes, available at: http://www.unhcr.at/pdf/1267.pdf, (08.10.2005) Information by asylkoordination, (10.10.2005) Grundversorgungsvereinbarung – Art. 15a B-VG, Austria / BGBl I 80/2004, (15.07.2004) Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2005), Rückmeldung zum Informationsersuchen Focal Point 2005, Wien, unpublished manuscript, pp. 85, 88 Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres (2005), Asyl- und Fremdenstatistik August 2005, available at: http://www.bmi.gv.at/downloadarea/asyl_fremdenwesen_statistik/082005.pdf, (06.10.2005), p. 81

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have long been criticised (see previous RAXEN reports197). The necessary renovation of the buildings is blocked by continued disagreements between the competent authorities about the number of places for refugees to be provided in the long run198. At the Traiskirchen camp, a special house for single women and their children was installed in July 2004 where men have no access.

2.4.1.4

Homes for asylum seekers in public debate

Debates criminalising asylum seekers (see section on trends and developments) lend themselves to stimulating fear and xenophobic tendencies among the population. Such trends clearly manifested themselves in conflicts over the accommodation of asylum seekers in different cities and communes. The announcement of such projects alone triggered emotional reactions by local politicians199. In Floridsdorf, a district of Vienna, the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund on behalf of the Fonds Soziales Wien established a home for 150 Chechen asylum seekers. The project encountered resistance by neighbours, who felt that they were not adequately informed and were concerned about their security200. An information evening with 800 participants was quite turbulent201. A representative of the Fonds Soziales Wien promised the neighbours not to accommodate asylum seekers of Sub-Saharan origin202. The opponents founded an association called Verein aktive Bürger ohne Maulkorb in reaction to the establishment of the asylum home. The first round table contributed to lessening the concerns of the neighbours, people started delivering clothes and toys203. Several neighbours are presently involved in voluntary work204.

197 198 199

200 201 202

203 204

RAXEN Focal Point for Austria (2003), National Report on Housing, p. 33; RAXEN Focal Point for Austria (2004), National Annual Report Austria, p. 29 diepresse.com, (27.07.2005), „Traiskirchen: Allein gegen die Republik“, available at: http://www.diepresse.com/textversion_article.aspx?id=496943, (27.07.2005) ORF ON, (07.03.2005), „Asylwerber – Strutz gegen Kärntner Aufnahmezentrum“, available at: http://kaernten.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detail&channel=9&id=370246, (07.03.2005); ORF ON, (07.03.2005), „Asyl: Tschürtz gegen Aufnahmezentrum im Süden“, available at: http://burgenland.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detai&channel=2&id=370192, (07.03.2005); ORF ON, (10.05.2005), „Taxenbach – Erste Flüchtlinge eingetroffen“, available at: http://salzburg.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detail&channel=5&id=379984, (10.05.2005); ORF ON, (22.09.2005), „Schönau – Streit um geplantes Asylwerber-Quartier“, available at: http://noe.orf.at/stories/59615,(10.10.2005) Die Presse, (08.01.2005), „Streit um Asylwerber in ÖBB-Heim“, p. 14 kurier.at, (13.01.2005), „Emotionale Versammlung in Floridsdorf“, available at: http://www.kurier.at/oesterreich/857832.php, (13.01.2005) Verein aktive Bürger ohne Maulkorb (2005) „‚Am Schauplatz: Angstmacher vom 7.6.2005’, Ergänzung bzw. Richtigstellung“, available at: http://aktivebuerger.at/Vereinsnews/index.html, (09.10.2005) kurier.at, (22.01.2005), „Asyl-Frieden in Floridsdorf“, available at: http://www.kurier.at/oesterreich/868205.php, (22.01.2005) ORF ON, (19.03.2005), „Floridsdorf: Kaum mehr Aufregung um Flüchtlingsheim“, available at: http://wien.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detail&channel=1&id=372041, (19.03.2005)

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Döbriach, a village in Carinthia (commune Radenthein), accommodated 35 asylum seekers. Jörg Haider, governor of Carinthia and founder of the BZÖ, issued an instruction for the closure of this accommodation by the end of May 2005. He legitimised his decision by stating that there was a common agreement that asylum seekers should not permanently be accommodated in tourist areas205. In 2004, Dieter Burgstaller, FPÖ-city councillor of Radenthein (6,600 inhabitants) and owner of the camping site in Döbriach, collected 800 signatures for this closure206. In summer 2004, about 20 youngsters of SubSaharan origin attended a language course in Döbriach and Burgstaller warned that hundreds of “black Africans” would populate the village207. The home was closed and the asylum seekers were partly resettled in Carinthia and the neighbouring federal province of Styria208.

2.4.1.5

Most significant reports

The question addressed to the Federal Chancellery whether research on racism and discrimination in housing was either commissioned or financially supported by any ministry, provincial government or social partner organisation was left unanswered209. The annual report of the Wohndrehscheibe provides insight into the experience of the organisation with counselling and support of migrants on the Vienna housing market. In 2004, the Wohndrehscheibe observed a continuing deterioration of the framework conditions for its work, leading to almost one out of five of its clients not finding secure housing in Vienna. Discrimination through gate actors on the housing market plays a role in that, as well as increasingly difficult access to subsidies. The Wohndrehscheibe experienced undisguised discrimination against foreigners on the part of gate keepers on the private housing market. Chechnyan refugees, in particular when they live in big families, can only find a flat on the private housing market with extreme difficulties. The Wohndrehscheibe sees a link to tabloid press reporting on alleged violence and aggression adding to already existing Islamophobia210. Often phone calls by an Austrian working for the Wohndrehscheibe revealed that flats that had been declared to be no longer on the market previously were still available for rent to Austrians after all. 205 206 207 208 209 210

kleinezeitung.at, (26.04.2005), „Asylheim muss schließen“, available at: www.kleinezeitung.at, (26.04.2005) ORF ON, (25.04.05), „Döbriach – Nach Protesten: Asylheim muss zusperren“, available at: http://kaernten.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detail&channel=9&id=37763326, (25.04.2005) Barth, J. (2005) „Vertreibung aus dem Paradies (Asylwerber)“, in: profil no 22, (30.05.2005), pp. 34-35 ORF ON, (31.05.05), „Geschlossen – Aus für Asylheim ‚Ernesto’“, available at: http://kaernten.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detail&channel=9&id=383081, (31.05.2005) Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2005), Rückmeldung zum Informationsersuchen Focal Point 2005, Wien, unpublished manuscript Volkshilfe Österreich, Wohndrehscheibe, Jahresbericht 2004, Wien: Volkshilfe, available at: http://www.volkshilfe.at/contentthema/download/wds_jahresbericht_2004_web.pdf, (06.10.2005), p.41

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Tighter restrictions on various forms of social benefits pose a severe problem for needy migrants who cannot cover initial and running costs for renting a flat with their own means. This observation generalises across foreigners and Austrian citizens, and also Geneva Convention refugees211. For example, in Vienna, Austrian citizens can apply to rent a flat from the city council, which is rather affordable and secure form of housing and therefore much sought after. The Wohndrehscheibe observed that aggravated criteria for council flats in force since the beginning of 2004 have created a considerable problem for naturalised migrants. The new criteria demand that the applicant and all persons the new council flat is meant for must have been living together at the same address in Vienna for two consecutive years before they can be put on a waiting list. Migrants who, after having received the Austrian citizenship, bring family members to Austria under provisions for family reunification are therefore forced to wait many years in overcrowded flats before they can actually be assigned a council flat212. The statistics of their clients’ motives for looking for a new flat shows that one out of five of the households assisted by the Wohndrehscheibe in 2004 was either about to become or had already become homeless. A form of this condition that is typical for migrants is a situation where they have been living with friends or family for a while but will have to move out soon213.

2.4.2

Significant initiatives and good practices

The Wohndrehscheibe supports people with very low incomes in finding affordable housing in Vienna. Most of its clients are migrants. The counselling service is offered in German, Serbian/Bosnian/Croatian, Turkish, Kurdish, English, Russian and Czech. It was selected in 2004 by UN-HABITAT as one of 100 examples of best practice for the solution of urban problems214.

2.4.2.1

Emergency flats

Emergency flats are provided and allocated by the city of Vienna and are accessible irrespective of citizenship. From their monitoring of clients’ motives for searching a new flat, the Wohndrehscheibe concludes that the introduction of emergency flats has already considerably improved the housing situation of migrants in Vienna, as the number of clients needing to move to a new flat for

211

212

213

214

Volkshilfe Österreich, Wohndrehscheibe, Jahresbericht 2004, Wien: Volkshilfe, available at: http://www.volkshilfe.at/contentthema/download/wds_jahresbericht_2004_web.pdf, (06.10.2005), pp. 54-64 Volkshilfe Österreich, Wohndrehscheibe, Jahresbericht 2004, Wien: Volkshilfe, available at: http://www.volkshilfe.at/contentthema/download/wds_jahresbericht_2004_web.pdf, (06.10.2005), p. 45 Volkshilfe Österreich, Wohndrehscheibe, Jahresbericht 2004, Wien: Volkshilfe, available at: http://www.volkshilfe.at/contentthema/download/wds_jahresbericht_2004_web.pdf, (06.10.2005), p. 51 See: http://www.unhabitat.org/programmes/bestpractices/, (06.10.2005)

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reason of their current accommodation being hazardous to their health has remained stable at a low level215. The Wohndrehscheibe observes that neighbourhood conflicts with an ethnic component may arise when migrant tenants newly moving in and long term Austrian tenants come to live together, and that currently applied measures of conflict solutions often come to late. The Wohndrehscheibe suggests stepping up preventive measures like assisted contact making between new and old neighbours setting in as soon as new migrant tenants move in216. The competent city coucillor, Mr Werner Faymann, has announced his intention to increase the number of emergency flats in Vienna217.

215

216

217

Volkshilfe Österreich, Wohndrehscheibe, Jahresbericht 2004, Wien: Volkshilfe, available at: http://www.volkshilfe.at/contentthema/download/wds_jahresbericht_2004_web.pdf, (06.10.2005), p. 51 Volkshilfe Österreich, Wohndrehscheibe, Jahresbericht 2004, Wien: Volkshilfe, available at: http://www.volkshilfe.at/contentthema/download/wds_jahresbericht_2004_web.pdf, (06.10.2005), p. 49 Falter, (31.08.2005), „Endstation Zehnerstiege“, pp. 8-9

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

2.5 2.5.1

Racist violence and crimes New sources of data and information

The main official sources of data on racist violence and crimes are the Verfassungsschutzbericht 2005218 issued by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Sicherheitsheitsbericht 2004219 issued by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution situated within the Ministry of the Interior together with the Federal Ministry of Justice; this report also contains information contributed by the Meldestelle für Wiederbetätigung (see Table 10). The work of the Ombud for Equal Treatment and the Equal Treatment Commission that took up their activities in spring 2005 gives new evidence of racist, ethnically and religiously motivated discriminatory and violent incidents (see Table 6 and sections on employment and housing). In February 2005, ECRI released its third report on Austria220. The report covers the time from 01.01.2003 to 05.12.2003 (see section Trends and Developments). Another report giving recent information on racist violence and discrimination constitutes the ENAR shadow report 2004 on Austria221. Considering Austria’s political culture and its historical background, the report concentrates among others on legislative measures, vulnerable groups, the victims’ perception of racism as well as racial violence and gives an overview of the situation of the Roma community. Important information comes from new publications of the Austrian NGOs ZARA222, Helping Hands Graz223, the Forum against Antisemitism224 and Stopline225. Information from the Muslim community was collected through personal contact with representatives of the Islamic Faith Community (IFC)226. 218 219 220

221 222 223 224 225

226

Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz und Terrorismusbekämpfung, Verfassungsschutzbericht 2005 Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Bundesministerium für Justiz, Sicherheitsbericht 2004 ECRI (2005), Third report on Austria, Adopted on 25 June 2004, Strasbourg, available at: http://www.coe.int/t/E/human_rights/ecri/1-ECRI/2-Country-bycountry_approach/Austria/Austria%20third%20report%20-%20cri05-1-1.pdf, (10.10.2005), pp. 21-24, 26-30 ENAR (2005), ENAR Shadow Report 2004, Austria, available at: http://www.enareu.org/en/national/Austria2004_enOK.pdf, (10.10.2005), p. 6-7 ZARA (2005), Racism Report 2004, available at: http://www.zara.or.at/materialien/rassismus-report/racism-report-2004.pdf, (11.10.2005) Helping Hands Graz, Jahresbericht 2004, available at: http://helpinghands.htu.tugraz.at/2004.pdf, (10.10.2005) FGA, Newsletters 11/2005; 03/2005, 06/2005; 10/2005, available at: http://www.fgawien.at/html/newsletter.html, (11.10.2005) Stopline, Annual Report 2004, p. 26, available at: http://www.stopline.at/fileadmin/stopline/files/Jahresbericht-2004-engl.PDF, (11.10.2005) http://www.derislam.at, (12.10.2005)

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

Furthermore, the Focal Point has compiled a list of incidents reported in the media (see Annex 5).

2.5.2 2.5.2.1

Data on racist violence and crimes Official sources

The total number of right-wing extremist, xenophobic and antisemitic incidents documented by the police authorities in 2004 amounts to 229. This indicates a decrease of 23.41 per cent compared to the incidents recorded in 2003 (299)227. In 2004, 322 individual suspects related to these 229 incidents were reported to police. Compared to the number of reports filed in 2003 (436) a decrease of 26.15 per cent may be discerned228. Police statistics indicate that the vast majority of xenophobic, racist and antisemitic incidents are verbal offences, smearings or disseminations of xenophobic, racist or antisemitic ideas by mail, e-mail or SMS text messages229. The number of juvenile perpetrators decreased from 95 in 2003 to 25 in 2004230. The number of reported right-wing extremist smearings and stickers increased from 27 (2003) to 45 (2004). In consequence, the pecuniary damage to property increased to € 18.000 (compared to € 10.000 in 2003)231.

2.5.2.2

Non-official sources

In 2004, ZARA documented 907 racist incidents (2003: 679). There were 544 persons who turned to ZARA because they witnessed racist incidents, and 200 persons who were directly affected by racial discrimination or violence. 59 per cent of the recorded incidents took place in public space. This category includes recorded smearings. Nine per cent or 81 cases of the incidents documented by ZARA refer to complaints about police conduct, including allegations of police ill-treatment232. Stopline is a platform to which websites with allegedly neo-Nazi content may be reported. In 2004, the platform was informed about 120 such websites (2003: 126), 37 were identified as illegal by Stopline and forwarded to the police

227 228 229

230 231 232

Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Bundesministerium für Justiz, Sicherheitsbericht 2004, p. 211 Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Bundesministerium für Justiz, Sicherheitsbericht 2004, p. 211 Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz und Terrorismusbekämpfung, Verfassungsschutzbericht 2005, p. 38, available at: http://www.bmi.gv.at/downloadarea/staatsschutz/VSB_05.pdf, (12.10.2005) Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Bundesministerium für Justiz, Sicherheitsbericht 2004, p. 211 Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Bundesministerium für Justiz, Sicherheitsbericht 2004, p. 211 ZARA, Racism Report 2004, p. 4, available at: http://www.zara.or.at/materialien/rassismusreport/racism-report-2004.pdf, (11.10.2005)

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

(2003: 33)233. From January 2005 to August 2005, Stopline recorded 98 reports on suspicious websites, 20 were identified as illegal. Compared to the same period in the previous year this indicates a slight decline of web-sites reported and identified as illegal. The discrepancy between official and non-official reported incidents indicates that neither of them can picture the whole range of racist crimes in Austria. Whereas many incidents reported to NGOs do not seem to be reflected in police and crime statistics, unofficial data rather provide information on the quality of racist and xenophobic offences. Therefore, no general conclusions or tendencies concerning the number of discriminatory acts should be deduced from these reports.

2.5.3

Data on Islamophobia

Unfortunately, no official quantitative data exists in regard to racist violence against Muslims. NGO reports cannot fill this data gap but provide valuable information on single incidents. The prevailing expression of Islamophobic tendencies in Austria can be found in racist e-mails or letters received by the Islamic Faith Community (IFC) and web postings or web-sites with Islamophobic contents234. A chart displaying sources and short descriptions of incidents in 2004 and 2005 and a list of media reported incidents in 2005 is attached in Annex 5. Following the London bombings, the spokesman of the Community for matters of integration, was the target of severe Islamophobic insults in the fora of newspapers Kurier and Die Presse following his increased media presence due to the London attacks235. In order to assess the whole scale of Islamophobic tendencies additional data on complaints recorded by an easily accessible and independent monitoring institution would be necessary. The equality bodies established at federal and provincial level could provide sound basis for disaggregated data base.

2.5.4

Data on Antisemitism

Data has been assembled from governmental and non-governmental sources as well as from media reports. In the Annex, tables displaying non-governmental sources and short descriptions of the incidents and a list of media reported cases in 2005 are attached. Austrian legislation does not contain any definition of Antisemitism. Governmental crime statistics do not always differentiate between antisemitic, xenophobic and right-wing extremist offences but split reports filed with the police according to the applicable penal law provisions (see Table 8). 233

234 235

Stopline, Annual Report 2004, p. 26, available at: http://www.stopline.at/fileadmin/stopline/files/Jahresbericht-2004-engl.PDF, (11.10.2005) Information provided by representatives of the IFC, (September and October 2005) Information stems from a telephone interview with a representative of the IFC, (27.07.2005)

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

According to the Sicherheitsbericht 2004 right-wing motivated crimes decreased from 264 (2003) to 189 (2004) incidents, in contrast, antisemitic incidents almost doubled (2003: 9; 2004: 17, see Table 7). The distinction between right-wing extremist and antisemitic incidents is often blurred. Crimes prohibited under the Prohibition Statute are clearly in connection with antisemitic motivation. The number of persons convicted under the Prohibition Statute decreased slightly compared to 2003 (see Table 9).

2.5.5

Groups of victims and perpetrators

Due to lack of a comprehensive monitoring system of racist discrimination related data necessary to determine groups of victims and perpetrators is missing. Presently, NGO and governmental reports as well as reports by international organisations are the only available information. The ENAR shadow report 2004236 describes prevalent victim groups in Austria. The report identifies especially visible ethnic or religious minorities vulnerable to racism. The presumption is made by the authors that the matter of equation of religious symbols (such as headscarves) with fundamentalism and terrorism has led to a negative association among the majority population. The ECRI report shares this observation237, which in particular points out Sub-Saharan Africans as being the most vulnerable group to racism. Experiences made by NGOs mirrors the perception of ECRI. According to the Annual Report 2004 of Helping Hands Graz in 16 out of 25 reported cases in the general section Africans were victims of discrimination or violence. In the section concerning police conduct, in six out of seven reported incidents persons from different African countries were affected238. Concerning perpetrators no comprehensive picture can be perceived due to the existing data gap239. The Sicherheitsbericht 2004 gives evidence on one case where two juvenile perpetrators were convicted for attacking and insulting a Turkish man240. According to the Verfassungsschutzbericht 2005 actual and potential perpetrators of racist, xenophobic and antisemitic crimes can be especially observed in the right-wing extremist (skin-head) groups in Austria, to which the security authorities pay special attention241. 236 237

238 239 240 241

ENAR (2005), ENAR Shadow Report 2004, Austria, available at: http://www.enareu.org/en/national/Austria2004_enOK.pdf, (10.10.2005), p. 10-17 ECRI (2005), Third report on Austria, Adopted on 25 June 2004, Strasbourg, available at: http://www.coe.int/t/E/human_rights/ecri/1-ECRI/2-Country-bycountry_approach/Austria/Austria%20third%20report%20-%20cri05-1-1.pdf, (10.10.2005), pp. 21-23 Helping Hands Graz, Jahresbericht 2004, pp. 10-18, 20-22, available at: http://helpinghands.htu.tugraz.at/2004.pdf, (10.10.2005) For a theory-led analysis of perpetrators see: RAXEN Focal Point for Austria (2003), National Report on Racial Violence, Vienna, November 2003, pp. 48-51 Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Bundesministerium für Justiz, Sicherheitsbericht 2004, p. 211 Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz und Terrorismusbekämpfung, Verfassungsschutzbericht 2005, p. 39-40

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

2.5.6

Publications

In July 2005, the Report to the Austrian Government on the visit to Austria in April 2004 has been released by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT)242. The CPT delegation reports that it received a considerable number of allegations of physical ill-treatment of criminal suspects detained by the police. In police detention centres243, a small number of allegations concerned rude behaviour (including xenophobic or racist remarks) by certain officers towards detained foreign nationals. In addition, the delegation received a number of allegations from foreign nationals regarding the imposition of arbitrary sanctions and undue restrictions. In 2005, the Human Rights Advisory Board (HRAB) published a report on the training of human rights for security officers. The report analyses the current state of human rights education in the training programmes and gives proposals on future steps and strategies to improve human rights education for police officers244.

2.5.7

Initiatives / good practices against violence

In May 2005, information leaflets for owners of potential venues for skinhead events and concerts have been distributed to the target group. The folder intends to alert to the fact that such events often serve the transportation of right-wing extremist, xenophobic and racist ideas. This initiative has been launched by the Office for State Protection and Counter-Terrorism in 2004245. Since 2001, the ADL has hold around 40 “A World Of Difference” training workshops per year for police officers. In 2005, from January to the beginning of October 562 police officers took part in 31 workshops246. According to information provided by the Federal Chancellary no special measures or initiatives are undertaken for victims of racist crime. It referred to the general provisions applicable to all victims of crimes247 (see 2.3.2.1).

242

243 244

245 246 247

CPT (2005), Report to the Austrian Government on the visit to Austria carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 14 to 23 April 2004, 21 July 2005, Strasbourg, available at: http://www.cpt.coe.int/documents/aut/2005-13-inf-eng.pdf, (10.10.2005), p. 57 Foreign nationals awaiting enforcement of a removal order are detained in police detention centres Österreich, Menschenrechtsbeirat (2005), Menschenrechte in der Aus- und Fortbildung der Sicherheitsexekutive, Wien, available at: http://www.menschenrechtsbeirat.at/download/bericht_schulungen.pdf, (11.10.2005) Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2005), Rückmeldung zum Informationsersuchen Focal Point 2005, Wien, unpublished manuscript Information provided by ADL Vienna upon request, (11.10.2005) Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2005), Rückmeldung zum Informationsersuchen Focal Point 2005, Wien, unpublished manuscript

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

52

RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

Annex 1 – Election campaigns Figure 1: Safety in Graz

Source: der neue grazer + der neue steirer, (08.09.2005), p. 16 Figure 2: Vienna first of all instead of Turkey’s accession to the EU

Source: http://www.fpoe.at/uploads/RTEmagicC_TurkEU_lk_01.jpg.jpg, (13.10.2005) Figure 3: Free women instead of forced wearing of the headscarf

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

Source: Heute, (10.10.2005), „Freie Frauen statt Kopftuchzwang“, p. 7

54

RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

Figure 4: Duel over Vienna

Source: http://www.hcstrache.at/bilder/kampagne/24bg_duell.jpg, (08.10.2005)

55

RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

Figure 5: Work instead of immigration

Source: http://www.hcstrache.at/bilder/kampagne/2bg_arbeit.jpg, (08.10.2005)

56

Annex 2 – Tables Table 1: Overview of EQUAL I projects Name of the development partnership German English Verschiedene Herkunft Different origins – – Gemeinsame Zukunft common future

Qualifizierung von InterkulturLotsen

248

Training for intercultural mediators

Main products

Websites

Ö Training course on intercultural pedagogic http://www.equal-noe-lak.at Ö Integration guidelines for the city of Krems, and the communities of Traismauer and Guntramsdorf Ö Evaluation of the project taking into account communication structures and behaviour, agenda setting and participation patterns of those involved broken down by ethnic groups and gender Ö Training course on intercultural mediation for http://www.interkulturlotsen.at managers, human resource managers and dedicated employees in administration, enterprises and NGOs Ö Evaluation on perception of conflicts and resolution strategies among diploma holders of the trainings course InterkulturlotsInnen Ö 3 research reports Access of migrants to the labour market in Austria and Portugal248

Pritz, C./Graça P. Qu. (2004), Der Zugang von MigrantInnen zum Arbeitsmarkt in Österreich und Portugal, Wien

RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

MIDAS – Wirksame Strategien und Maßnahmen gegen Rassismus und Diskriminierung am Arbeitsmarkt

Strategies against racism and discrimination on the labour market

Ö Ö Ö Ö Ö

MA.DI.CU – Managing Diversity through culture

MA.DI.CU – Managing Diversity through culture

Ö Ö

Gleiche Chancen im Betrieb, Betrieb ohne

Equal opportunities at work, workplaces

Ö

249 250 251

Protection against discrimination of migrants on the Austrian labour market249 Transnational enterprises and the prohibition of discrimination250 Brochure containing addresses and contact persons of migrant organisations all over Austria Analysis of expert interviews on the issue of discrimination in various spheres Training course for intercultural coaches, who were instantly involved in organisational development Anti-racism game Collection of material on equal treatment and anti-discrimination measures offering tangible suggestions and procedures aiming at abolishing discrimination in employment251 Brochure on diversity management Introduction of diversity management into enterprises by way of role play conducted by professional actors and support in organisational development Codes of conduct preventing discrimination on the grounds of ethnic belonging or religion

http://www.midasequal.com

http://wwwgewi.kfunigraz.ac.at/unit/de/php/site/site_view.p hp?sid=site-6-5390&MaDiCu%20in%20Unternehmen&CMI%20 Seite http://www.gleichechancen.at

Pritz, C. (2004), Der Schutz von MigrantInnen vor Diskriminierung am Arbeitsplatz in Österreich, Wien Röhsler, M.-Th. (2004), Transnationale Unternehmen und das Diskriminierungsverbot, Wien Materialien-Sammlung, available at: http://www.midasequal.com/de/downloads/modul4/gmas%20126%20seiten.pdf, (08.10.2005)

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

Rassismus

without racism Ö

Ö

Miteinander leben und arbeiten

Living and Working together

Ö Ö Ö Ö

252 253 254 255

for 6 companies Handbook showing methods of change management, which support the project of developing and implementing a code of conduct252 2 research reports Discrimination on the Viennese labour market253 Measures in companies promoting antidiscrimination and equal treatment – a comparison of 6 EU Member States254 Best practice inventory Training course on interculturalism for works http://www.miteinanderarbeitenundleben.at/ council members and staff members with a migratory background Brochure for works council members promoting the eligibility of third country nationals DVD against racism and xenophobia on the Upper Austrian labour market

EQUAL-Entwicklunsgpartnerschaft „Gleiche Chancen im Betrieb“ (ed.) (2004) Gleiche Chancen im Betrieb: Handbuch zur Gleichstellung von MigrantInnen, Wien, available at: http://www.gleichechancen.at/manual/equal_manual/index.html, (08.10.2005) Manolakos, Th./K. Sohler (2005), Gleiche Chancen im Betrieb? Diskriminierung von MigrantInnen am Wiener Arbeitsmarkt, Wien, available at: http://www.gleichechancen.at/down/M1_Endbericht_WienerAM.pdf, (20.05.2005) Trauner, H./K. Sohler (2005), Betriebliche Maßnahmen gegen Diskriminierung und zur Gleichstellung von MigrantInnen und ethnischen Minderheiten im europäischen Vergleich, Wien, available at: http://www.gleichechancen.at/down/M1_Endbericht_EU.pdf, (08.10.2005) Gunz. J./G. Hatschenberger/A. Leonhartsberger/Ch. Yeprem (2004), “Study on classic and new work-migrants”, available at: http://www.miteinanderarbeitenundleben.at/bilder/studie_englisch.pdf, (08.10.2005)

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

Obersteirische Initiativen zur interkulturellen Öffnung der Region

Open Up – Empowerment gegen Rassismus am Arbeitsmarkt Erweiterter Arbeitsmarkt –

256 257

258 259

Ö DVD on prejudices aimed at pupils Ö Research report on traditional and new labour migration in Upper Austria255 Upper Styrian initiative Ö Research report on labour market situation of http://www.ikoef.at/ for interculturally migrants in Styria256 opening the region Ö Guideline of re-qualification of migrants257 Ö Handbook on interculturalism258 Ö Various guidelines and recommendations for the Labour Market Service and companies with regard to equal treatment of migrants http://www.openup.at Open Up – Ö Anti-racism workshops and seminars for Empowerment against members of employee organisations and racism in the labour activists market Ö Discussion forum on anti-racism Ö Anti-racist employer/works council agreement259 Extended Labour Ö Mri buti – an employment project for Roma http://www.ida-equal.at 260 Market – Integration in the Burgenland

Gächter, A (s.a.), Bildung und Beruf in der Obersteiermark: Eine Studie zur Beschäftigungssituation von ZuwanderInnen, available at: http://www.ikoef.at/downloads/ikoef2.pdf, (08.10.2005) Obersteirische Initiativen zur interkulturellen Öffnung der Region (ed.) (2005), Über die Potenzialanalyse zur Requalifizierung: Ein steirisches Modell – Leitfaden zur Requalifizierungspraxis von Migrantinnen und Migranten, available at: http://www.ikoef.at/downloads/leitfaden_qualifizierungspraxis.pdf, (08.10.2005) Obersteirische Initiativen zur interkulturellen Öffnung der Region (ed.) (s.a.), Handbuch Interkulturalität, available at: http://www.ikoef.at/texte/handbuch_interkulturalitaet_bbrz.pdf, (08.10.2005) Open Up (s.a.) Muster für eine antidiskriminatorische Betriebsvereinbarung, avialbale at: http://openup.at/bum/abv/abv.htm, (08.10.2005)

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

Integration durch through Work Arbeit (IDA) Integration von IntegrationInfoService MigrantInnen in den by migrants for Arbeitsmarkt und migrants Eröffnung neuer interkultureller Tätigkeitsfelder EPIMA, Development Entwicklungspartnerschaft für Planung und partnership for planning and executing Durchführung von Integrationsmaßnahmen integration measures for asylum seekers; für unbegleitete unescorted minors and minderjährige young adult asylum Flüchtlinge und junge seekers erwachsene Asylwerber/innen (EPIMA) Table 2: Overview of EQUAL II projects

260

261

262 263

Ö Research report on the labour market situation of Roma in Oberwart261 Ö Analysis of the situation of migrants on the Viennese labour market in the area of health and social services262 Ö Training course for migrants in the area of health and social services and practical training Ö Curricula for German and alphabetisation courses for young asylum seekers263 Ö Vocational orientation for young asylum seekers

http://www.wiso.or.at/wiso/projekte/aktuell.php# equal

http://www.epima.at

This project will be continued until the end of 2007 outside the framework of EQUAL: It will be financed by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Labour, the federal province of the Burgenland and the Labour Market Service. ORF ON, (19.09.2005), „Beschäftigungsprojekt: Erleichterung über ‚Mri buti’Fortführung“, available at: http://burgelnad.orf.at/storeis/58891, (08.10.2005) Leoni, T. (2004), The Labour Market Development of Oberwart and the Socio-Economic Situation of the Roma, WIFO Working Papers 226/2004, available at: http://pan2.wsr.ac.at/pls/portal30/docs/FOLDER/HOMEPAGE_GUDRUN_BIFFL/CURRENT_RESEARCH/SOCIAL_POLICY_EQUAL/WP_2004_226$.PDF , (26.10.2004) Reinprecht, Ch./K. Kienzl-Plochbeger (2005), MigrantInnen im Gesundheits- und Sozialbereich und Zur Situation älterer MigrantInnen in Wien, Wien EPIMA (2005), Endbericht, Wien, available at: http://www.epima.at/img/EPIMA_endbericht.pdf, (08.10.2005)

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

Name of the development partnership Websites German English Jugendnetzwerk Salzburg264 Youth network Salzburg Work in Process – Migrantische Work in process – migrant http://www.work-in-process.at Selbstorganisation und Arbeit organisations and work NewC_Baselines Project for labour market integration of young Roma in Vienna Diversity@Care – MigrantInnen in Diversity@Care – Migrants in http://www.esf.at/downloads/update/update_16_05/pflege_weitblick.pdf der mobilen Pflege und Betreuung mobile care and counselling Interkultureller kommunaler Intercultural communal action plan Aktionsplan (IKAP) EPIMA http://www.epima.at FLUEQUAL Measures for asylum seekers First Aid in Integration In.Power

264

It offers vocational training to 60 members of marginalised groups among them migrants. Within 15 months the youths are prepared for an apprenticeship. During this time they can work on their strengths and weaknesses and in the end they will be integrated into the first labour market. Information available at: http://salzburg.orf.at/stories/55936, (08.10.2005)

62

Table 3: Permits to stay and integration agreements in Austria 2003 - 2005 Jan – Jun 2003 2004 2005 All kinds of newly issued and 239,757 210,416 100,756 renewed permits to stay granted (Aufenthaltserlaubnis, Niederlassungsnachweis, Niederlassungsbewilligung) Of which: settlement permits 177,028 154,719 79,149 (Niederlassungsnachweis, Niederlassungsbewilligung) Integration agreements entered 9,114 5,540 1,968 Integration agreements fulfilled 951 1,668 872 Sources: ORF-ON, (26.01.2004), “Nichts als Ausnahmen”, available at: http://www.sprachenrechte.at/cgi-bin/TCgi.cgi?target=home&P_Txt=37, (10.10.2005); Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2005) Rückmeldung zum Informationsersuchen Focal Point 2005, Wien, unpublished manuscript, pp. 58-59; Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Asyl- und Fremdenstatistik 2003, available at: http://www.bmi.gv.at/downloadarea/asyl_fremdenwesen_statistik/Jahr2003.pdf, (10.10.2005), pp. 32-34; Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Asyl- und Fremdenstatistik 2004, available at: http://www.bmi.gv.at/downloadarea/asyl_fremdenwesen_statistik/Jahr2004.pdf, (10.10.2005), pp. 83-85; Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Asyl- und Fremdenstatistik Juni 2005, available at: http://www.bmi.gv.at/downloadarea/asyl_fremdenwesen_statistik/062005.pdf, (10.10.2005), pp. 64-69; own calculations

RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

other countries

Former Yugoslavia

Turkey

2nd generation

Austrians

Table 4: Attained education levels of 16-24 year olds, percentages 2nd generation, parents from

Main general secondary school, special school, polytechnical year 29 48 58 45 29 Vocational school 22 14 13 20 5 Higher general secondary school – first stage, intermediate vocational college 22 22 18 21 32 Higher general secondary school – upper stage, higher vocational college 24 15 9 13 30 University 3 2 1 1 3 Total 100 100 100 100 100 N= 403 1,000 458 356 186 Source: Weiss, H. (2005b) Die zweite Generation: Integrationswege – Integrationserfolge, unpublished manuscript, p. 3

64

RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

other countries

Former Yugoslavia

Turkey

2nd generation

Austrians

Table 5: Professional positions of 16-24 year olds, percentages 2nd generation, parents from

Unskilled workers 10 25 31 21 11 Skilled workers 16 14 13 16 11 Basic level employees 60 42 40 44 40 Intermediate and higher level employees 10 9 5 12 13 Free professions and trade 4 11 11 7 24 Total 100 100 100 100 100 N= 222 481 224 195 62 Source: Weiss, H. (2005b) Die zweite Generation: Integrationswege – Integrationserfolge, unpublished manuscript, p. 3

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RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

Table 6: Number of Persons contacting the OET on grounds of racial, ethnic or religious discrimination (01.03.2005 – 20.09.2005) OET II responsible for OET III responsible for discrimination discrimination (harassment) in (harassment) on grounds employment issues of ethnic belonging in other issues Ethnic belonging 63 121 Religion 2 265 65 121266 Total Source: Office of the Ombud for Equal Treatment, (10.10.2005)

Table 7: Recorded racist, xenophobic or antisemitic crimes listed by motivation Motivation 2002 2003 2004 Right-wing extremist 261 264 189 Xenophobic 45 26 23 Antisemitic 20 9 17 Total 326 299 229 Source: Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Bundesministerium für Justiz, Sicherheitsbericht 2004, p. 211; Sicherheitsbericht 2003, p. 208; Sicherheitsbericht 2002, p.203

Table 8: Number of complaints against individual persons Number of complaints under 2002 following provisions Sec 3 Prohibition Statute 238 Sec 283 Criminal Code (hostile 56 incitement) Other related provisions of the 99 Penal Code Insignia Act 25 Art IX para 1 no 4 EGVG 47 Media Act Total 465

2003

2004

216

165

37

29

96

93

7 79 1 436

9 26 1 322

Source: Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Bundesministerium Sicherheitsbericht 2004, p. 211; Sicherheitsbericht 2003, p. 208

für

Justiz,

Table 9: Number of convicted persons for hostile incitement and Wiederbetätigung under the Prohibition Statute Legal Basis 2002 2003 2004 Hostile incitement: sec 283 9 13 14 Criminal Code Wiederbetätigung: sec 3 lit a-g 20 31 27 Prohibition Statue267 265 266

Victims of multiple discrimination (e.g. age or sexual orientation) are included in these numbers This number includes persons who required legal information

66

RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

Source: Österreich, Bundesministerium Sicherheitsbericht 2004, p. 369

für

Inneres,

Bundesministerium

für

Justiz,

Table 10: Incidents reported to the Meldestelle für Wiederbetätigung on right-wing extremist activities and web-sites 2002 2003 2004 151 140 160268 Source: Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Bundesministerium Sicherheitsbericht 2004, p. 211; Sicherheitsbericht 2003, p. 209

267 268

für

Justiz,

Spreading and revitalisation of Nazi socialist ideology Incidents with reference to Austria have been forwarded to the security services and public prosecutors

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Annex 3 – Threatening letter

Source: Islamic Faith Community, (October 2005)

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Source: Islamic Faith Community, (October 2005)

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Annex 4 – Problematic statements by members of Parliament Siegfried Kampl On 14.04.2005, Mr Siegfried Kampl (at that time belonging to Future Alliance Austria, BZÖ, a spin-off of the Freedom Party) spoke in a debate on Austrian history in the Bundesrat, the second chamber of the Austrian Parliament, which is composed of delegates from the provincial parliaments. In relation to a motion of the Greens to quash all sentences against deserters from the Wehrmacht, the Carinthian delegate stated that soldiers deserting the Wehrmacht were “in part murderers of their comrades”. He furthermore spoke of a “persecution of Nazis” after the war that he had experienced in its “full brutality” as a child. His statement received the applause of listeners from the Freedom Party/BZÖ and of some from the Austrian People’s party (ÖVP)269. Yet, after some days, representatives of all political camps formulated fierce criticism of Mr Kampl’s historical views. The scandal of such statements being made by a Member of Parliament before the assembly acquired additional severeness by the fact that Mr Kampl was scheduled to routinely take the office of president of the second chamber, which is the third highest office in Austria, and taken in turn by delegates of the different federal provinces according to their leading position on the list of the party with the most votes in regional elections in that province. At first, vice-chancellor Mr Hubert Gorbach (BZÖ), BZÖ spokesman Mr Uwe Scheuch, and BZÖ Carinthia party chairman Mr Martin Strutz backed up Mr Kampl, when the Social Democrats and the Greens already demanded that in no case should Mr Kampl become president of the Bundesrat, and Ms Maria Fekter of the ÖVP expressed the distance of the ÖVP from Mr Kampl’s views. Mr Andreas Mölzer, Member of the European Parliament for the Austrian Freedom Party said that Mr Kampls statement were simple-minded270. Mr Kampl first announced his resignation, having been convinced to take this step by BZÖ Carinthia party chairman Mr Strutz. Later, he withdrew his resignation from his seat in the Bundesrat and instead ended his party membership of the BZÖ271. 269

270 271

Österreich, Parlament, Stenographisches Protokoll 720. Sitzung des Bundesrates, Donnerstag, 14. April 2005, available at: http://www.parlament.gv.at/pls/portal/docs/page/PG/DE/BR/BRSITZ/BRSITZ_00720/fname _044485.pdf, pp. 124-125 diepresse.com, (20.04.2005), „BZÖ: Gorbach deckt ‚Sager’zur NS-Zeit”, available at: http://www.diepresse.com/textversion_article.aspx?id=477423, (20.04.2005) kleinezeitung.at, (28.04.2005), „Kampl legt Mandat zurück”, available at: http://www.kleinezeitung.at/nachrichten/politik/artikel/_689737/index.jsp, (02.05.2005); ORF ON, (29.05.2005), „Kein Rückzug – Kampl bleibt im Bundesrat”, available at: http://kaernten.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detail&channel=9&id=382675, (30.05.2005);

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Political actors therefore went on to find a different solution to prevent Mr Kampl taking the presidency. The Austrian Parliament unanimously agreed on an amendment to the Federal Constitution that introduced the possibility for provincial parliaments to change the order on their list of delegates to the Bundesrat, which determines the person taking the presidency, provided that the strongest party, which is also the one the candidate for presidency comes from, agrees with the change. The National Assembly unanimously adopted the law on 09.06.2005272, the Bundesrat followed on 23.06.2005273. The provincial assembly of the federal province of Carinthia, which delegated Mr Kampl to the Bundesrat, changed the order of the delegates of the federal province and so determined that a different Member of the Bundesrat, Mr Peter Mitterer (BZÖ) took the office of president274. On the eve of the beginning of his presidency, Mr Mitterer expressed his reverence for Mr Kampl275. Mr Kampl has so far (until October 2005) retained his office as mayor of Gurk as well as his office as Member of Parliament.

John Gudenus Mr John Gudenus, member of the Bundesrat and, then, of the FPÖ, stated in an interview with Austrian television that was broadcast on 26.04.2004 with respect to the existence of gas chambers: “I think one needs to seriously debate this question and not just say, ‘you must answer yes or no’. If we should, we will examine it. I am of this opinion and I always demand another examination.” The Vienna Greens informed the public prosecutor and asked to check the statement for a possible violation of the Prohibition Statute which punishes denial of the Holocaust. Mr John Gudenus had been a member of the national assembly from 1990 to 1995, when he laid down his mandate after criticism for a public statement in which he had said with respect to gas chambers that he would rather keep out of

272 273

274

275

kurier.at, (02.06.2005), „Kampl widerruft schriftlich Rücktritt”, available at: http://www.kurier.at/oesterreich/1004254.php, (02.06.2005) Art 36 para 2 Bundesverfassungsgesetz, as last amended by BGBl I 54/2005, (24.06.2005) Österreich, Stenographisches Protokoll 113. Sitzung des Nationalrates der Republik Österreich, Donnerstag 9. Juni 2005, p. 96, available at: http://www.parlament.gv.at/pd/steno/PG/DE/XXII/NRSITZ/NRSITZ_00113/SEITE_0096.ht ml?P_PM=SEITE_0096, (14.10.2005); Österreich, Stenographisches Protokoll 723. Sitzung des Bundesrates, Donnerstag 23. Juni 2005, available at: http://www.parlament.gv.at/pls/portal/docs/page/PG/DE/BR/BRSITZ/BRSITZ_00723/fname _048538.pdf, p. 60 Stenographisches Protokoll, 16. (verlangte) Sitzung des Kärntner Landtages – 29. Gesetzgebungsperiode, Dienstag, 7. Juni 2005, available at: http://www.kaerntnerlandtag.ktn.gv.at/cgi-bin/evoweb.dll/web/akl/16406_DE.doc, pp. 1300-1301, Stenographisches Protokoll, 17. Sitzung des Kärntner Landtages – 29. Gesetzgebungsperiode, Mittwoch, 29. Juni 2005, available at: http://www.kaerntnerlandtag.ktn.gv.at/cgi-bin/evoweb.dll/web/akl/16407_DE.doc, (15.10.2005), pp. 1359-1361 Der Standard, (22.07.2005), „Damit man uns ein bisschen besser versteht”, p. 6

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the discussion as he “believed everything that was dogmatically prescribed”. About a year later, he became a member of the Bundesrat, which office he continues to hold (October 2005)276. In consequence of the interview, Mr Gudenus had to lay down his membership of the FPÖ. The public prosecutor concluded that Mr Gudenus’ statement was no more than an expression of doubt, which was not considered to violate the Prohibition Statute277. Yet, soon after two more relevant statements of Mr Gudenus caused the public prosecutor to become active again. In an interview with the daily Der Standard on the occasion of the public prosecutor not pursuing proceedings against him, Mr Gudenus said: “Gas chambers existed, but not in the Third Reich. Rather [they existed] in Poland. That’s what is written in school books. I never said that I fundamentally doubt [the existence of] gas chambers278.” Furthermore, it became known that Mr Gudenus had visited the concentration camp in Mauthausen on 04.05.2005, where he had stated with respect to pictures of concentration camp inmates that “the young inmates on the pictures were looking quite well [referring to their physical state], and that he [Gudenus] was looking worse”279. A decision whether charge will be brought against Mr Gudenus is expected for November, 2005280.

276

277

278 279 280

For information see: http://www.parlament.gv.at/portal/page?_pageid=907,175478&_dad=portal&_schema=POR TAL&P_PAD=B, (15.10.2005); An overview of this and other pertinent statements of Mr Gudenus between 1995 and 2005 is available on the website of the Vienna Greens, http://wien.gruene.at/weitere_themen/artikel/lesen/581/450/blaettern/6/?no_cache=1, (15.10.2005) Der Standard (28.04.2005) „Staatsanwalt ermittelt gegen Gudenus”, p. 6; Ellensohn, D. (27.04.2005), Sachverhaltsdarstellung an die Staatsanwaltschaft Wien, available at: http://wien.gruene.at/uploads/media/sachverhaltsdarstellung_gudenus.pdf, (15.10.2005); Die Presse (07.06.2005) „Gudenus bleibt straffrei”, p. 3. For an opinion on the significance of Mr Gudenus’ doubt and demand for an examination, not from a legal, but from a linguistic perspective, cf. Wodak, R. (2005) „Strategie des Schweigens”, in: Der Standard, (07.06.2005), p. 27 Der Standard, (08.06.2005), „Gudenus: ‚Es gab Gaskammern, aber nicht im Dritten Reich’”, available at: http://derstandard.at/?id=2071354, (08.06.2005) Klenk, F. (2005) „Das kann nicht stimmen”, in: Falter 25/05, (22.06.2005), p. 13 ORF ON, (15.10.2005), „Causa Gudenus – Entscheidung über Anklage im November”, available at: http://wien.orf.at/stories/64327/, (16.10.2005)

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Annex 5 – List of Incidents Islamophobic incidents Table 11: Islamophobic incidents 2004281 – October 2005282,283 Category Source Violence against persons Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Bundesministerium für Justiz, Sicherheitsbericht 2004, p. 211 Violence against property

Islamic Faith Community (information provided upon request in September 2005)

Violence against property

Media284

Verbal threats and abusive behaviour

Islamic Faith Community (information provided upon request in October 2005)

281 282 283 284

Description A man of Turkish origin got victim of physical and verbal attacks of 2 juvenile perpetrators. The two perpetrators were sentenced to 3 months of imprisonment with suspension of the sentence on probation. If Islamophobia is the motivation behind the attacks is not clear. On 24.09.2005, a stone was thrown by unknown perpetrators through the window of a mosque in Linz during the morning prayer. The incident has been reported to the police. On 24.09.2005, a stone was thrown through the window of a mosque in Linz during the morning prayer. In September 2005, the spokesman of the Community for matters of integration received a letter with Islamophobic and threatening

The Sicherheitsbericht 2004, published in 2005 describes one incident. It is not possible to evaluate in which month this incident happened, but it is clear that it happened in 2004 This list gives an overview of recorded incidents by official or non-official data collectors in Austria. The table lists incidents which have not been included in the RAXEN Focal Point for Austria 2004 National Annual Report. Therefore, the period covered is from November 2004 until October 2005. The media reported cases in this list cover the period from January 1 to October 12, 2005. This list is to be seen as a qualitative overview of the incidents and is by no means complete. Initiative muslimischer ÖsterreicherInnen (25.09.2005), „Steinwurf auf Linzer Moschee“, available at: http://mund.at/archiv/september5/aussendung270905.htm#04, (06.10.2005)

RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

Verbal threats and abusive behaviour

Media285

Islamophobic web-site

Islamic Faith Community (information provided in August 2005)

Other Islamophobic incidents

Media286

content from unknown person(s). A copy of the letter is attached in Annex 3 A pregnant woman wearing a headscarf, on her way in Vienna with a perambulator and two infants, needed help to get on a tram. As nobody else was around, she asked the tram driver. He refused, telling her that as she had not asked him for help in making the children, he saw no reason to help her in getting on the train now. http://iblis.twoday.net, (11.10.2005) The website constitutes a platform for anti-Islamic ideas. Furthermore, it provides links to other anti-Islamic websites and presents anti-Islamic literature. It is not evident who is responsible for the web-site. By October 2005, the web-site has been on-line for almost four months. In January 2005, the song of a potential Eurovision song contest participant, Alf Poier, was criticised as Islamophobic. The song titled “Good Old Europe is Dying” included the following lines: Once the Christians moved around with the sword, Once bombs were dropped on Berlin And as Mohamed proliferated so well, The muezzin will soon sing in Rome. After criticism, Poier at first defended the text: “It only reflects a given situation.” But in the end he said that he would replace the lines by “Buddhist silence” in order to prevent “unjustified

285

Rottenberg, Th. (2005) „Einstiegshilfe”, in: derStandard.at (12.06.2005), available at: http://derstandar.at/?id=2076542, (13.06.2005)

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misunderstandings”. Other Islamophobic incidents

Media287

A Turkish student reading an Arabic newspaper on a plane waiting for take-off at the Vienna airport was denied transportation on that flight on 04.10.2005. The crew had called in the police, as passengers feared that the student might be a terrorist. The police investigations produced no result, yet the captain refused to take the man on board again.

Other Islamophobic incidents

Media288

The upper Austrian daily Neues Volksblatt, a tabloid, portrayed Muslim life in mosques in the city of Linz in a manner that sparked criticism. Mr Stefan Schlager, responsible for questions of Islam with the Diocese of Linz, stated that “judgemental and partial reporting [was] obstructing the good dialogue with Muslims in Upper Austria.” The Neues Volksblatt had shamed two Turkish Imams interviewed with the help of an interpreter for not speaking German and attacked the representatives of a third mosque for temporarily hosting four Arab men of the “Tabligh” movement, which is under observation of German Offices for the Protection of the Consitution. The Neues Volksblatt later reported that the Tablighis were no longer welcome at that mosque and printed an interview with the President of the Islamic Faith Community in Austria welcoming that development.

286

287

Cited in http://www.aon.at on 12.01.2005, translation by the NFP; derStandard.at, (12.01.2005), „Vorwurf der Isalmfeindlichkeit gegen Alf Poier“, available at: http://derstandard.at/?url=/?id=1914895, (25.01.2005); derStandard.at, (17.01.2005), “Buddhistisches Schweigen statt‚ weil sich Mohamed so gut vermehrte’”, available at: http://derstandard.at/?url=/?id=1920120, (25.01.2005) Kurier, (05.10.2005) „Student las im Flugzeug arabische Zeitung: Terror-Alarm“, p.12

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Other Islamophobic incidents

Media289

The weekly profil reported on Islam in Austria in its 01.08.2005 issue under the title “Islam under suspicion”. The feature included the portrayal of the president of the Islamic Faith Community in Austria, Mr Anas Schakfeh, as having “quite a lot of understanding” for radical preachers. Mr Schakfeh wrote a letter to the editor, stating that this was a defamatory statement and that the reporting was tendentious.

Other Islamophobic incidents

Media290

In March, the annual event “literature in March” taking place in Vienna was dedicated to Islam and the west. In connection to that, the facade of the building of the art exhibition institution Kunsthalle was wrapped in Turkish flags by German-Turkish artist Feridun Zaimoğlu as an art project titled “KanackAttack. The Turk’s third siege?”. The Viennese Freedom Party reacted by launching advertisements and posters with the slogans “Vienna must not become Istanbul” and “No tax money for the Turks-tent”.

288

289 290

Der Standard, (20.07.2005) „Linz: Furcht vor Radikalpredigern“, p. 10; Neues Volksblatt, (19.07.2005), „Schwieriger Dialog mit Mitbürgern“, p. 6; Neues Volksblatt, (19.07.2005), „Linzer Moschee beherbergt Wanderprediger einer Gruppe, vor der Terrorfahnder weltweit warnen“, p. 6; Neues Volksblatt, (20.07.2005), „Linzer Muslime verbannen Islamisten aus ihrer Moschee!“, available at: http://www.volksblatt.at/popup_drucken.asp?inc=artikel/artikel_start3, (20.07.2005) profil, (01.08.2005), „Islam unter Verdacht”, pp. 12-17; Anas Schakfeh (2005) Letter to the editor, in: profil 33/05, (01.08.2005), p. 7 Literatur im März: Islam und Abendland – der Ursprung des Westens, see: http://www.alte-schmiede.at/lim2005.htm, (21.03.2005); See: http://www.kunsthallewien.at/cgi-bin/event/event.pl?id=1075;lang=en, (21.03.2005); In the German original: „Wien darf nicht Istanbul werden“, see: http://www.fpoe.at/uploads/RTEmagicC_STRACHE_CITYLIGHT_ISTANBUL._01.jpg.jpg, (21.03.2005); In the German original: „Kein Steuergeld für’s Türkenzelt“, see: http://www.fpoe.at/uploads/RTEmagicC_HC_Strache_Bezirkszeitung1.jpg.jpg, (21.03.2005)

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Antisemitic incidents Table12: Antisemitic incidents November 2004 – October 2005291,292 Category Source Description Violence against persons Forum against Antisemitism (FGA293 (Newsletter In November 2004, a man perceived to be a Jew got victim of verbal insults (“Lila Saujude!”) and a physical attack. 11/2004)294 Violence against property FGA (Newsletter 11/2004; 06/2005; 10/2005) − In December 2004, the entrance of a Jewish bookshop in Vienna was destroyed by unknown perpetrators. The police was informed. − In June 2005: desecration of 2 Jewish grave stones in a Viennese cemetery − In June 2005: desecration of a memorial site in Lower Austria − In September 2005: demolition of a memorial plate in Vienna 295 Violence against property Media On 23.05.2005, the arrest of a 20 year old man in the Tyrol was reported, who was held in remand custody pending trial for damage of property, arson, and smearings with partly antisemitic content committed in 2002 and 2005. He was reported to have confessed. Verbal threats and abusive behaviour 291 292 293 294 295

FGA (Newsletter 06/2005)

A janitor of a Viennese school says to a Jewish sports club playing basket-ball in the sports hall that they are worse than the niggers in

This list gives an overview of recorded incidents by official or non-official data collectors in Austria. The table lists incidents which have not been included in the RAXEN Focal Point for Austria 2004 National Annual Report. Therefore, the period covered is from November 2004 until October 2005. The media reported cases in this list cover the period from January 1 to October 12, 2005. This list is to be seen as a qualitative overview of the incidents and is by no means complete. http://www.fga-wien.at/, (11.10.2005) The newsletters are available at: http://www.fga-wien.at/html/newsletter.html, (11.10.2005) ORF ON, (23.05.2005), „Nach Sachbeschädigungen verhaftet“, available at: http://tirol.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detail&channel=6&id=381790, (23.05.2005)

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Verbal threats and abusive behaviour

Media296

Antisemitic writings

FGA (Newsletter 11/2004; 03/2005; 06/2005; 10/2004)

Antisemitic and neo-Nazi smearings FGA (Newsletter 11/2004; 03/2005; 06/2005; 10/2005) Other antisemitic incidents Media297

296 297

the US (June 2005). With the support of ZARA a letter of complaint was written to the head of the school. The head as well as the janitor apologised. A man wearing a kippah was abused as „Saujud“ (lit.: sow Jew) by another car driver who competed with him for a parking space in Vienna. The man continued his abuse by telling him that he was not needed here and that he had been forgotten some years ago (in allusion to not having been killed in the Holocaust). −

The Jewish Faith Community received 5 letters with antisemitic content in 2004 and 16 letters in 2005 − January 2005: antisemitic postings on ORF ON − November 2004: a Jewish institution receives a letter with antisemitic content 2004: 14 smearings recorded 2005: 30 smearings recorded The weekly profil rejected criticism for mentioning a businessman’s Jewish identity in connection with his sources of income. Günter Traxler, columnist of the Vienna based daily Der Standard, commented on the profil-editor’s reaction to a critical letter by a reader. Profil had reported on the financial standing of the local Vienna TV station Puls TV and on a major investor. Profil described the man as having multiplied his assets by “clever speculation with property”, and as a “member of the Jewish Faith Community and close friend and business partner of its president, Ariel Muzicant”. A

Rottenberg, Th. (2005) „In der Zeitmaschine”, available at: http://derstandard.at/?id=2027095, (26.04.2005) Traxler, G. (2005) „Kritik wird zurückgewiesen“, in: Der Standard, (08./09.01.2005), available at: http://derstandard.at/?id=1911277, (09.01.2005)

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reader asked in a letter to the editor what this information had to do with investment in the city TV channel. The editor rejected the criticism. Other antisemitic incidents

Media298

A chain of do-it-yourself stores advertised a log cabin under the name of Mauthausen, the community in Upper Austria where the largest concentration camp on Austrian territory was situated. After protests, the catalogues advertising the cabin were withdrawn and the product renamed. The owner of the company expressed his deep regret to the Jewish Faith Community.

Other antisemitic incidents

Media299

Mr Strache (FPÖ) stated with respect to state payments to the Jewish Faith Community that they constitued a “foul compromise” as they did not constitute individual recompensation but rather the “Muzicant association” was receiving financial means (alluding to the president of the Jewish Faith Community, Mr Muzicant).

Other antisemitic incidents

Media300

Mr Roman Schweidlinka, responsible for questions of sects in Styria, warned against increasing activities of religious groups that spread right wing extremist ideas in Styria. As an example, he named the propagation of antisemitic conspiracy theories about the Tsunami catastrophe.

298

299 300

diepresse.com, (05.04.2005), „Werbung: Gartenhaus ‚Mauthausen’ im Baumax-Katalog“, available at: http://www.diepresse.com/Artikel.aspx?channel=e&ressort=eo&id=474304, (27.04.2005); salzburg.com (27.04.2005), „bau Max zieht Kataloge ein“, available at: http://www.salzburg.com/cgi-bin/sn/printArticle.pl?xm=1521440, (27.04.2005) Der Standard, (28./29.05.2005), „Strache gegen Kultusgemeinde”, p. 8 ORF ON, (01.07.2005), „Warnung – Rechtsradikale Sekten sehr aktiv”, available at: http://steiermark.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detail&channel=8&id=387626, (01.07.2005)

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Racist and right-wing extremist incidents Table 13: Other racist and right-wing extremist incidents, media reported cases January through October 2005301 Category Source Description Violence against persons/court case Media302 Six skinheads between 16 and 26 years of age, one of them female, were tried in the court of Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, on 05.09.2005. One young man was acquitted, the others received prison sentences. Their crimes included a case where a skinhead attacked a man of Turkish origin on his way to the mosque and smashed an ashtray in his face, causing several cuts, and leaving one of the victim’s eyes permanently damaged. In another case, he had shot a Croatian man in the face with a gas gun, again leaving an eye permanently injured. Violence against persons/court case

301 302

Media303

In August and September 2005 a trial took place in Carinthia against a Nigerian man accused of resistance to public authority. The asylum seeker had been on the road looking for work in September 2004, and, being thirsty he knocked at a door and asked for a glass of water. He asked in English, and, as he did not seem to be understood, accompanied his request with gestures. He moved on after having been refused. Soon after, the local police arrived and arrested and handcuffed him. He was injured during the arrest and accused of resistance to public authority. The man was acquitted by the court of

This list is to be seen as a qualitative overview of the incidents and is by no means complete. The period of observation ends on October 12, 2005. ORF ON, (06.09.2005), „Straffällig – Skinhead-Bande vor Gericht”, available at: http://vorarlberg.orf.at/stories/56130/, (06.09.2005); Vorarlberg Online, (06.09.2005), „Unbedingte Haftstrafen für drei Skins”, available at: http://www.vol.at/engine.aspx/page/vol-article-detail-print-page/cn/vol-news-enetzer20050906-073438/dc/tp:vol:vorarlberg, (06.09.2005)

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first instance, which found that he had only been gesticulating. The ruling is not final. Violence against persons

Media304

On 16.04.2005, a 17-year old pupil with dark skin was the victim of racist abuse and violence in Feldbach, Styria. He was beaten up on the main square by six skinheads. He needed medical treatment for the considerable injuries that he suffered.

Violence against persons

Media305

In a row between skinheads and other youths in JudendorfStraßengel, Styria, on 10.06.2005, at least three of the involved got injured. The police had to intervene to end the brawl.

Violence against persons

Media306

In June, 2005 (18./19.06.2005), two skinheads beat up an Egyptian man selling roses on the main square in Neumarkt, Styria, leaving bruises all over his body. Later on, they were joined by a third skinhead and beat up and seriously injured to 17 year old boys outside a discotheque. They also robbed one of the victims. The police soon arrested two of the perpetrators.

Violence against persons

Media307

At the end of July, 2005, a gang of six skinheads beat a 20 year old man unconscious in Leibnitz, Styria. He suffered very serious injuries, lasting effects may remain. Two weeks later, the regional Office for the Protection of the Constitution determined the identity

303 304 305 306

ORF ON ,(23.09.2005), „‚Nur gefuchtelt’ - Freispruch für Asylwerber“, available at: http://volksgruppen.orf.at/integration/stories/38573/, (23.09.2005); additional online-information: http://no-racism.net/rubrik/140/, (17.10.2005) Der Standard, (18.04.2005), „Rassistische Übergriffe mehren sich”, p. 8 ORF ON, (11.06.2005), „Skinheads – Drei Verletzte bei Schlägerei”, short notice on http://steiermark.orf.at ORF ON, (20.06.2005), „Neumarkt – Drei Opfer von Skinheads verprügelt”, available at: http://steiermark.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detail&channel=8&id=385990, (20.06.2005)

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of the perpetrators, who are between 19 and 21 years old and known to the authorities for right-wing extremist acts. Complaints for inflicting grievous bodily harm were filed against them. Violence against persons

Media308

Di Tutu Bukasa, a Congo born anti-racist activist, was assaulted and severely beaten up by a gang of skinheads in Vienna and had to be taken to hospital. As members of the African community point out, he is only the most prominent victim in a number of recent cases of violence against Africans.

Violence against persons

Media309

On 26.03.2005, a 31 year old man was beaten up in Friesach, Carinthia. He suffered severe injuries to his head. Two young men had asked him whether he had a problem with right-wing extremists. When he replied in the affirmative, they knocked him down and kicked him.

Violence against persons

Media310

On 23.07.2005, 16 year old skinhead started a quarrel with another youngster at a discotheque. Outside the door, he attacked and injured him with a machete. Then, he attacked a 16 year old girl that happened to be standing nearby, inflicted several wounds upon her with the machete and hacked off one of her fingers. The skinhead told the police that he was armed because he was on the look-out for

307 308 309

ORF ON, (11.08.2005), „Schwer verletzt – Skinheads prügelten 20-Jährigen halb tot”, available at: http://oesterreich.orf.at/steiermark/stories/50995, (06.09.2005) Der Standard, (15.04.05), „Antirassismus-Aktivist niedergeschlagen“, p. 10; Aktionskomitee schwarze Menschen in der Öffentlichkeit, (18.04.05), „Skinheadattacken auf schwarze Menschen in 3 Bundesländern“, available at: http://no-racism.net/article/1190/, (17.10.2005) ORF ON, (29.03.2005), „Rechtsextremisten: Mann brutal niedergeschlagen“, available at: http://oesterreich.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detail&channel=9&id=373280, (29.03.2005)

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foreigners in order to attack them together with accomplices. Violence against persons

Media311

On 19.02.2005, a group of about 25 skinheads went about the town of Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, shouting Nazi-slogans. The police intervened and was kicked by several of the skinheads resisting arrest. The police also kept apart the skinheads from a number of leftist activists who had gathered to counter the skinheads. Most of the skinheads turned out to be from Switzerland or Liechtenstein.

Violence against persons

Media312

At a summer party in Dornbirn, Vorarlberg, 6 skinheads and 15 members of a motorcycle club were involved in a brawl on 20.08.2005. A skinhead battered a man on the head with the shaft of an axe, causing serious injuries.

Violence against persons

Media313

The city of Salzburg has for some time experienced recurring bouts of violence in a main night-life area of town, where there are numerous bars and restaurants attracting a diverse audience. The daily Salzburger Nachrichten reported that it was the “uniform opinion” among restaurant owners that a “tension between right-wing extremist football fans and young foreigners” was behind most incidents. After the match of Poland against Austria on 03.09.2005, a group of about 30 masked men armed with batons raided a bar of a Turkish owner with mainly Turkish audience, devastating the bar and injuring several.

310 311 312

kurier.at, (23.07.2005), „Mordversuch in Klagenfurt”, available at: http://www.kurier.at/chronik/1057374, (25.07.2005) ORF ON, (20.02.2005), „Nazi-Sprüche – Skinheads zogen brüllend durch die Innenstadt”, available at: http://vorarlberg.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detail&channel=7&id=368022, (21.02.2005) ORF ON, (21.08.2005), „Skinheads – Massenschlägerei auf Sommerfest“, available at: http://oesterreich.orf.at/vorarlberg/stories/52903, (21.0.2005)

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Violence against persons

Media314

Mr. L., a 26 year old man from Morocco raised severe allegations against Innsbruck police in June, 2005. The police carried out a control of his identity on 05.06.2005, in the presence of his Tyrolian wife. She witnessed how one of the police officers willingly dropped her husband’s passport on the floor, saying with respect to his valid residence permit “this is your first and your last visa”. Mr L was shoved around and drawn to the floor, and sprayed into his eyes with pepper spray. The public prosecutor and the Office of Internal Affairs within the Federal Ministry of the Interior were informed about the incident.

Violence against property

Media315

Swastika smearings in Salzburg: On 25.04.2005, swastika smearings were found on the walls of the parking lot of Hellbrunn castle near Salzburg, as well as on cars parking there. There was no trace of the perpetrator(s).

Verbal threats and abusive behaviour

Media/police316

On 02.07.2005, a man abused an African woman in a bar in Linz. A male African guest hit the man in the face, who then went to the police and filed a complaint. The police came to the bar to look for the man against whom the complaint had been filed. This attracted the attention of many other guests of that bar and of other people in

313

314 315 316

salzburg.com, (05.09.2005), „Abfahren mit diesen Radaubrüdern“, available at: http://www.salzburg.com/cgi-bin/sn/printArticle.pl?xm=1705723, (05.09.2005); salzburg.com, (05.09.2005), „Der Standpunkt: Wildwest im Herzen der Salzburger Altstadt“, available at: http://www.salzburg.com/cgibin/sn/printArticle.pl?xm=1705723, (05.09.2005) Der Standard, (20.06.2005), „Dein erstes und dein letztes Visum”, p. 7 derStandard.at, (25.04.05), „Mauern und Autos bei Parkplatz Hellbrunn mit Hakenkreuzen beschmiert“, available at: http://derstandard.at/?id_20206226, (25.04.2005) Sicherheitsdirektion Oberösterreich (02.07.2005), „Ausschreitungen in der Linzer Altstadt”, Pressaussendung, available at: http://www.bundespolizei.gv.at/, (05.07.2005)

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the area. The situation escalated when the suspect’s mother laid herself down in the street in front of a police car. Although sixteen police cars were present, the police were forced to leave the scene with the suspect on foot. Five African people were arrested. Literature/court case

Media317

On 24.01.2005, three skinheads were found guilty of the incitement of hatred at the regional court of Feldkirch in the Vorarlberg province. They had produced and offered for sale on the internet a CD with music with racist lyrics containing passages like “We hat Jews. We hate Negroes.” The judge found the lyrics suitable to further or support hostile attitudes towards these groups. The men had been found in possession of the CD and handwritten lyrics, as well as photographs taken in the USA showing the three of them together with an American skinhead band they had produced the CD together with.

Literature/court case

Media318

In April 2005, a 31-year old lawyer from Upper Austria was sentenced to a conditional prison sentence by the Salzburg court for writings published between 1998 and 2000, which qualified as reviving of National-Socialist ideology.

Literature/court case

Media319

In August 2005, a former FPÖ-district councillor was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for denial of the Holocaust in Vienna. He had already been convicted of the same crime in 2003, and served one year of a three year sentence received then. After his release from

317 318 319

ORF ON, (24.01.2005), „Rassistische CD – Verhetzung: Skinheads schuldig gesprochen“, available at: http://oesterreich.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detail&channel=7&id=363992, (24.01.2005) salzburg.com, (13.04.2005), „Rechtsradikaler Publizist”, available at: http://www.salzburg.com/cgi-bin/sn/printArticle.pl?xm=1498246, (13.04.2005) Der Standard, (30.08.2005), „Auschwitzlüge – vier Jahre Haft”, p. 11

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prison, he produced and distributed a CD-ROM arguing that he had been wrongly sentenced, as he had not been permitted to proof the non-existence of gas-chambers. His lawyer appealed against the new sentence. Literature

Media320

The publishing house Leopold Stocker Verlag in Graz filed suit against the Jewish Faith Communities of Graz und Vienna in relation to their speaking out in the context of a report of the Styrian Greens to the public prosecutor listing potential violations of the Prohibition Statute in the journal “Neue Ordnung” published by Stocker. The Greens were also lobbying for a withdrawal of support of the federal province for the publisher by way of permission to use Styria’s coat of arms. Another suit was filed by the publisher against an activist group that had collected signatures for a petition demanding the withdrawal of the coat of arms and the removal of an internet link on the official homepage of the federal province leading to the publisher.

Literature

Media321

A commentary published in the police lawyers’ journal “Sicherheit und Recht” was criticised by the Styrian Greens. The commentary was judged by the Greens to be apparently trying to be funny, but being in fact nothing but racism and a defamation of human rights. It contained, e.g., the suggestion that burglars from east Europe were pardoned in order to serve as targets in shooting training. Representatives of the journal said they had not intended to injure

320

ORF ON, (20.05.2005), „Wiederbetätigung? Grüne Anzeige gegen Stocker-Verlagsschef”, available at: http://steiermark.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detail&channel=8&id=381427, (20.05.2005); Falter, (27.07.2005), Styrian issue, p. 7; no-racism.net, (31.05.2005), „Rechtsextremer Verlag klagt MayDay2000”, available at: http://no-racism.net/article/1240, (14.10.2005)

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anybody’s feelings. Other incidents/court case

Media322

A 26-year-old man was sentenced to a one year suspended prison sentence for reviving NS ideology (NS Wiederbetätigung) and serious damage to property at the Salzburg regional court on 01.02.2005. He and two friends had been walking around Zell am See with swastikas and SS-signs painted on their shaved heads in 2002. In the same year, the man and others had publicly sung the HorstWessel song at Kaprun.

Other incidents/court case

Media323

Mr Gottfried Küssel, former Neo-Nazi party leader, sentenced in 1994 for reviving National-Socialist ideology and released early from prison in 1999, was found guilty of the illegal possession of weapons and convicted to a fine of € 360 by a court of second instance in Vienna in February 2005. The weapons had been found during a raid of his house in 2002, among them an SS-dagger. Mr Küssel received the sentence for the possession of 3 bayonets, whereas the SS-dagger was considered an ornamental item.

Other incidents/court case

Media324

A 15 year old boy from Bosnia attending secondary school in

321 322

323 324

ORF ON, (11.02.2005), „Grünenvorwurf – Rassismus im Magazin der Polizeijuristen”, available at: http://oesterreich.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detail&channel=8&id=366641, (11.02.2005) Salzburger Nachrichten Online, (02.02.2005), „Prozess Salzburg“, available at: http://www.salzburg.com/cgi-bin/sn/printArticle.pl?xm=1403859, (02.02.2005); ORF ON, (02.02.05), „Verurteilt – Neonazi: Ein Jahr Haft auf Bewährung“, available at: http://salzburg.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detail&channel=5&id=365206, (02.02.05) ORF ON, (16.02.2005), „Bajonette – 360 Euro Geldstrafe für Küssel”, available at: http://wien.orf.at/oesterreich.orfr?read=detail&channel=1&id=367474, (17.02.2005) salzburg.com, (04.03.2005), „Kurz gemeldet: ‚Heil Hitler’-Brüllen”, available at: http://www.salzburg.com/cgi-bin/sn/printArticle.pl?xm=1447318, (04.03.2005); ORF ON, (04.03.2005), „Rabiater Schüler – Terror an Schule: Lehrer empfindet ‚Ohnmacht’”, available at:

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Schruns, Vorarlberg was sentenced to a conditional fine of € 200 for bodily harm, severe threat, and compulsion, by a court in Feldkirch in March 2005. The boy had bullied his fellow pupils for years, beaten a girl, threatened a teacher and also forced six pupils to kneel down and cry “Heil Hitler”. In the time preceding the trial, the boy’s parents had agreed on placing him in a special pedagogical centre, but at that time no place was available there and he was put on a waiting list. Other incidents/court case

Media325

Three men, between 19 and 24 years of age, from the eastern Tyrol received legally binding sentences by the Innsbruck court for reviving National Socialist ideology (Art 3g Prohibition Statute) in March, 2005. All received partly or fully conditional prison sentences. The three had for some time engaged in regular activities of a group of youngsters with alleged adult leaders, meeting in a secluded hut in the mountains, possessed Nazi-flags and other symbols and pictures, CDs with music glorifying the NS regime, carried out the Hitler-salute in public, and celebrated Hitler’s birthday.

Other incidents/court case

Media326

In June 2005, the Innsbruck court sentenced two men of 23 and 26 years, and a woman of 21 years, for reviving National-Socialist ideology. All three received conditional prison sentences. Between

325 326

http://vorarlberg.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detail&channel=7&id=369771, (04.03.2005); Vorarlberg Online, (04.03.2005), „Rote Karte für Problemkind”, available at: http://www.vol.at/engine.aspx/page/vol-article-detail-print-page/cn/vol-news-mkuehne-20050304-072309/dc/tp:vol:vorarlberg, (04.03.2005) ORF ON, (07.03.2005), „Innsbruck – Nach Neonazi-Umtrieben verurteilt”, available at: http://tirol.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detail&channel=6&id=370132, (08.03.2005) tirol.com, (08.06.2005), „Drei junge Neonazi zu Haftstrafen verdonnert”, available at: http://portal.tirol.com/chronik/unterland//12109/index.do, (02.08.2005)

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them, they had collected an enormous lot of computer files with neoNazi music and pictures, and a flag with a swastika. They had scared people in the street with their slogans and songs. One of them had distributed text messages from his mobile phone claiming to “send the fucking Turks to the desert”. Other incidents/court case

Media327

In August, 2005, a 21 year old man from Lienz was sentenced by the Innsbruck court for wearing and showing in public a swastika tattooed on his arm, and for administering a similar tattoo of a swastika and SS-runes on a 14 year old girl. The man received an unconditional prison term of 8 months.

Other incidents/court case

Media328

In September 2005, the Klagenfurt court found a 20 year old man from Vorarlberg guilty of infringing upon the Prohibition Statute, the Arms Act and of attempted compulsion and dangerous threat, and sentenced him to 18 months’ imprisonment. The man had publicly carried out the Hitler salute and shouted “Heil Hitler” in Klagenfurt in summer 2004. At another occasion, he had threatened a young man of dark skin with a machete. His defending counsel argued that the Prohibition Statute was only directed against the “stupid ones” who were not sufficiently intellectual to disguise their statements.

Other incidents/court case

Media329

In September 2005, the public prosecutor confirmed that an 84 year farmer will only have to answer for unauthorised possession of war

327 328 329

tirol.com, (01.08.2005), „Acht Monate Haft für Nazi-Tattoo”, available at: http://portal.tirol.com/chronik/innsbruck//16498/index.do, (02.08.2005) kleinezeitung.at, (28.09.2005), „18 Monate Haft für Ex-Skinhead”, available at: http://www.kleinezeitung.at/nachrichten/regionen/kaernten/klagenfurt/[...], (28.09.2005) kleinezeitung.at, (19.09.2005), „Bauer sammelt Relikte aus NS-Zeit“, available at: http://www.kleinezeitung.at/nachrichten/regionen/kaernten/klagenfurt/[...], (19.09.2005)

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materials, but not for an infringement of the Prohibition Statute. In 2004, burglars had broken into the farm and it had become known to the general public that the man had collected a great number of weapons, uniforms, and other NS-relics. Other items, like a gas cooker, a skull or a piece of the Berlin wall were also in the collection, which lead the public prosecutor to conclude that the private museum was not a one-sided exhibition glorifying National Socialism. Other incidents

Media

Two members of the second chamber of Parliament were criticised by members of all political parties for their statements on Austria’s past. Mr Kampl of the Future Alliance Austria (BZÖ) had spoken of a “brutal persecution of Nazis” after WWII, and Mr Gudenus (FPÖ) doubted the existence of gas chambers twice this year. For a detailed

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description of these cases see Annex 4. Other incidents

Court case330

The Constitutional Court decided on 11.03.2005 that a decision of the federal province of Vienna violated the right to equal treatment of foreigners among themselves. The appellant, now a German citizen, had emigrated from Austria to Switzerland on 12.03.1938 and now, in applying for a pension, sought to be credited for her time of emigration. The negative decision of the province of Vienna had argued that the relevant provisions were only applicable to those who had left Austria from 13.03.1938 onwards, when National-Socialism ceased power, whereas the applicant had already left Austria on 12.03.1938.

Other incidents

Media

Mr Andreas Mölzer, Member of the European Parliament for the Austrian Freedom Party, abstained from the voting for the adoption of a resolution on antisemitism and xenophobia by the European Parliament in commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz on 27.01.1945. Mr Mölzer said that in his opinion the resolution connected the suffering of the victims with present day political ambitions. Furthermore he stated that he refused the notion that the Austria of today had to take on joint responsibility for the crimes of Auschwitz.331

Other incidents

Media332

The Nationaldemokraten, considered a neo-nazi group by the Dokumentationsarchiv des österreichischen Widerstands, had called

330 331 332

Austria / VfGH / B 89/05 – 7, (11.09.2005), available at: http://www.vfgh.gv.at/cms/vfgh-site/attachments/4/3/5/CH0006/CMS1113222175805/emigration_b8905.pdf, (16.10.2005) kurier.at, (27.01.2005), „Keine Mitverantwortung Österreichs“, available at: http://www.kurier.at/oesterreich/873349, (28.01.2005) Der Standard, (18.04.2005), „Demo gegen Skinhead-‘Wanderer’”, p. 8

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for a “national hiking day” to take place in Knittelfeld, Styria, on 16.04.2005. About 200 people participated in a demonstration against that event, only a small number of skinheads and other youngsters in outfits using rightwing codes appeared on the scene. Meanwhile, as the organiser of the Nationaldemokraten – who denies any connection to neo-nazis – said, the hiking party took place in a different location. Other incidents

Media333

On 11.06.2005, about 700 members of “all-German” student associations (Burschenschaften) gathered at the Vienna Hofburg. In his speech, Mr Strache of the FPÖ stated that Austria had only been liberated in 1955. Concluding the meeting, the participants sang the Deutschlandlied.

Other incidents

Media334

On 26.02.2005, about 600 people participated in an anti-fascist demonstration in Bludenz, Vorarlberg that had been organised by the youth organisation of the Social Democrats to protest against the strong presence of Nazis in the western provinces. About 70 skinheads tried to break through street blocks and disturb the demonstration. 52 people were arrested for a short time.

Other incidents

Media335

On 04.03.2005, skinheads and leftists, about 50 people altogether, verbally confronted each other in the street in Feldkirch, Vorarlberg. The police intervened and prevented a physical confrontation.

333 334

Der Standard, (13.06.2005), „Einigkeit mit Zwischenrufen”, p. 6 ORF ON, (27.02.2005), „Demo – Erhöhtes Sicherheitsaufgebot bis Mitternacht”, available at: http://vorarlberg.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detail&channel=7&id=369013, (21.02.2005)

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Other incidents

Media336

A hassle was reported to have taken place in Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, on 26.03.2005, between 8 skinheads and passers-by. The police intervened. Nobody was injured or arrested.

Other incidents

Media337

At the end of August, the anti-racism NGO ZARA informed the public about a case of anti-Roma racism recently reported to them. A camping site in the Eastern Tyrol had posted a sign stating that there was „no room for gypsies“. The sign was removed. Other media took up the story and reported on the case.

Other incidents

Media338

A staff member of the Federal Ministry of Traffic, Innovation and Technology who was nominated as EU-coordinator within the ministry was criticised by the Greens. In 2004, he wrote an article titled “Basic ideas on Europe”339, saying that tendencies like cultural loss, decreasing birth rates and mass immigration complicated the preservation of the ethnic identity of a people. Europe as a cradle of the whites had to stand up quite often and fight for its bare survival against non-European conquerers. This staff member has drafted a number of papers for the Ring Freiheitlicher Jugendlicher, a party

335 336 337 338 339

Vorarlberg Online, (05.03.2005), „Auseinandersetzung zwischen Skins und Linken”, available at: http://www.vol.at/engine.aspx/page/vol-article-detail-printpage/cn/vol-news-megger-20050305-124152/dc/tp:vol:vorarlberg, (07.03.2005) ORF ON, (29.03.2005), „Feldkirch – Auseinandersetzung mit Skinheads”, available at: http://vorarlberg.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detail&channel=7&id=373330, (29.03.2005) derstandard.at, (31.08.2005), „‚Kein Platz für Zigeuner’ auf Osttiroler Campingplatz“, available at: http://derstandard.at/?id=2155379, (17.10.2005) Der Standard, (14.04.2005), „Grüne Kritik an Gorbachs Mitarbeiter“, p. 6; Tangente, (3/2004), „Grundgedanken zu Europa“, available at: http://www.rfj.at/standpunkte/tangente_0304.pdf, (19.05.2005), pp. 4-6

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organisation of the Austrian Freedom Party, showing xenophobic and racist ideas340. Other incidents

Media341

The Badner Bahn, a local train line connecting Vienna and the town of Baden in the south of the capital, has a stop at Traiskirchen, where Austria’s largest refugee camp is situated. The line is therefore an important means of transport for asylum seekers. In November, 2004, the company running the line started to employ a private security service to cope with perceived problems of safety in the line. Also the police stepped up their presence in and around the trains. As several witnesses informed the anti-racist NGO ZARA, passengers of dark skin, or otherwise looking “foreign”, face the situation that they are routinely picked out for controls of valid train tickets and other papers. The controls were often carried out in an aggressive way. A couple that was submitted dot such eh control reported to ZARA that they were asked to get off the train in spite of having presented all the demanded papers for reason of something being allegedly wrong with the papers, and a police officer told the women that her husband would be immediately deported.

340

341

RFJ (2003) „10-Punkte Programm für eine freiheitliche Bevölkerungspolitik“, available at: http://www.rfjwien.at/bevoelkerungspolitik.doc, (19.05.2005), pp. 23; Translation of an essay on the web: Rushton, P. J. (2001) „Ist Rasse ein gültiges Klassifizierungskriterium?“, University of Western Ontario, p. 1, available at: http://www.charlesdarwinresearch.org/GermanDocument.pdf, (19.05.2005); RFJ, „Unsere Weltanschauung“, available at: http://www.rfjwien.at/unsereweltanschauung.doc, (20.05.2005), p. 7; RFJ, „Ethnopluralismus statt multikultureller Gesellschaft“, p. 2, available at: http://www.rfjwien.at/grundsatzschriften004.doc, (20.05.2005) diepresse.com, (22.01.2005), „Badner Bahn: Eine Bahnlinie unter Polizeischutz”, available at: http://www.diepresse.com/textversion_article.aspx?id=461828, (24.01.2005); derStandard.at, (01.02.2005), „Ihr Mann wird gleich abgeschoben”, available at: http://derstandard.at/?id=1935098, (02.02.2005); Falter (01.06.2005) „Mit der Keule”, p. 15

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The police informed the daily Der Standard that controls were not based on the outward appearance of passengers, but that the Badner Bahn was a “main connection for criminal activities” because of the Traiskirchen camp. The train company argued that dealing with some passenger was not easy, declaring especially “Moldavians” to be “aggressive”, and “Georgians” to be “problematic”, as sometimes also “black Africans”. In June, two men form Moldavia and one from Georgia filed suite against the Republic of Austria with the Independent Administrative Tribunal for having been unlawfully detained for periods of 5, 23 or 40 days. All of them were asylum seekers legally entitled to stay in Austria but were kept in detention pending deportation after having been arrested by the police as suspected criminals. In one case the police argued that they were following hints that burglars would bring haul to Traiskirchen. The man was considered suspicious for waiting on the train. Other incidents

Media342

On 30.06.2005, the mayor of Graz, Mr Siegfried Nagl (ÖVP), spoke out against a possible accession of Turkey to the EU, arguing in allusion to Austrian wars with Ottoman Empire that “Graz has always been the ultimate bulwark of western Europe against Turkey. We are only leading this defensive fight with different means today, namely diplomacy.”

Other incidents

Media343

In April 2005, the Vienna police carried out a number of raids and

342

kleinezeitung.at, (30.06.2005), „Grazer Bürgermeister wettert gegen Türkei”, available at: http://www.kleinezeitung.at/nachrichten/politik/artikel/_707301/index.jsp, (04.07.2005)

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searches specifically targeting Africans after a number of assaults had been carried out against post men. An Austrian citizen complained to the Independent Administrative Tribunal for Vienna for having been photographed against his will and for no concrete reason at such an occasion. The Tribunal found that the man had been photographed solely on the grounds of his skin colour and not on the grounds of a concrete suspicion against him. Other incidents

343 344

Personal communication344

On 21.08.2005, three black men were denied service at a kiosk in the Vienna leisure area of the Prater, where they wanted to have a cup of coffee. The waitress explained to them “You are black and my boss told me not let any black guys sit down here because they sell narcotics”. The three men called the police, who explained to them that they could not do anything in such a case. The police referred them to the court for civil procedure. Under Art 9 para 1 sec 3 in connection with Art 9 para 2 of the Introductory Provisions to the Code of Administrative Procedures (Einführungsgesetz zu den Verwaltungsverfahrensgesetzen), the police furthermore would have been obliged to intervene themselves.

Falter, (24.08.2005), „Rüge für Horngacher”, p. 9 E-mail from Mr Hassan Malik, (22.08.2005)

96

References Amesberger, H./B. Halbmayr/B. Liegl (2003) „Gesundheit und medizinische Versorgung von ImmigrantInnen”, in: Fassmann, H./I. Stacher (eds.) Österreichischer Migrations- und Integrationsbericht, Klagenfurt/Celovec: Verlag Drava, pp. 171 – 194 Arbeitsmarktservice Österreich (2005) Arbeitsmarktlage 2004 – Jahresbericht, Wien, available at: http://www.ams.or.at/neu/jb04.pdf, (03.10.2005) Baldaszti, E. (2003), Soziale Exklusion und Gesundheit von MigrantInnen in Österreich, National Report Austria, Wien: edited by IOM and Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für Frauengesundheitsforschung CPT (2005), Report to the Austrian Government on the visit to Austria carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 14 to 23 April 2004, 21 July 2005, Strasbourg, available at: http://www.cpt.coe.int/documents/aut/2005-13-inf-eng.pdf, (10.10.2005) Council of Europe (2005), European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, Application of the Charter in Austria, Initial monitoring cycle, Report of the Committee of Experts on the Charter, Strasbourg, available at: http://www.coe.int/T/E/Legal_Affairs/Local_and_regional_Democracy/Regional_or_Minorit y_languages/Documentation/2_Committee_of_Experts_reports/1st_report_Austria.pdf, (06.10.2005) Deserteurs- und Flüchtlingsberatung, Tätigkeitsbericht 2004, available at: http://www.deserteursberatung.at/desiintern/jahresbericht_2004.htm, (08.10.2005) ECRI (2005), Third report on Austria, adopted on 25 June 2004, Strasbourg, available at: http://www.coe.int/t/E/human_rights/ecri/1-ECRI/2-Country-bycountry_approach/Austria/Austria%20third%20report%20-%20cri05-1-1.pdf, (10.10.2005) ENAR (2005), ENAR Shadow Report 2004, Austria, available at: http://www.enareu.org/en/national/Austria2004_enOK.pdf, (10.10.2005) EPIMA (2005), Endbericht, Wien, available at: http://www.epima.at/img/EPIMA_endbericht.pdf, (08.10.2005) EQUAL-Entwicklunsgpartnerschaft „Gleiche Chancen im Betrieb“ (ed.) (2004) Gleiche Chancen im Betrieb: Handbuch zur Gleichstellung von MigrantInnen, Wien, available at: http://www.gleichechancen.at/manual/equal_manual/index.html, (08.10:2005) Europäische Kommission (2005), Eurobarometer 63.4: Die Öffentliche Meinung in der Europäischen Union – Frühjahr 2005: Nationaler Bericht Österreich, available at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/public_opinion/archives/eb/eb63/eb63_nat_at.pdf, (13.10.2005), pp. 33-37 Fulton, L. (2003), Migrant and ethnic minority workers: Challenging trade unions, available at: http://www.etuc.org/IMG/zip/migrant.zip, (06.10.2005) Gächter, A (s.a.), Bildung und Beruf in der Obersteiermark: Eine Studie zur Beschäftigungssituation von ZuwanderInnen, available at: http://www.ikoef.at/downloads/ikoef2.pdf, (08.10.2005) Geddes, A./J. Niessen/A. Balch/C. Bullen/M. José Peiro (2005), European Civic Citizenship and Inclusion Index compiled by Laura Citron and Richard Gowan, Brussels, available at: http://www.britishcouncil.fi/pdf/brussels-european-civic-citizenship-and-inclusion-index.pdf, (04.10.2005) Gunz, J./G. Hatschenberger/A. Leonhartsberger/Ch. Yeprem (2004), “Study on classic and new work-migrants”, available at: http://www.miteinanderarbeitenundleben.at/bilder/studie_englisch.pdf, (08.10.2005)

RAXEN Focal Point for Austria – National Report 2005

Helping Hands Graz, Jahresbericht 2004, available at: http://helpinghands.htu.tugraz.at/2004.pdf, (10.10.2005) Herzog-Punzenberger, B. (2003), Die zweite Generation an zweiter Stelle? Soziale Mobilität und ethnische Segmentation in Österreich – eine Bestandsaufnahme, Wien, available at: http://www.wuwien.ac.at/usr/wigesch/wfischer/personal/Metropolis/Texts/Stud2Gen_HerzogPunzenber.pdf, (10.10.2005) Huber, A./R. Öllinger/M. Steiner-Pauls (2004) Asylrecht, Die relevanten Rechtsbereiche in der Asylberatung, Wien: Manz Verlag ICMPD (2005), Integration Agreements and Voluntary Measures. Compulsion or voluntary nature – comparison of compulsory integration courses, programmes and agreements and voluntary integration programmes and measures in Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, Vienna: ICMPD, available at: http://www.icmpd.org/uploadimg/Final_INTI_Report_electronic%20version.pdf, (06.10.2005) Institut für Trendanalysen und Krisenforschung (2005), Arbeitsmarkt und EU-Erweiterung: Entwicklungen und Erwartungen, available at: http://www.itk.or.at/pdf/pressepap140705.pdf, (04.10.2005) Kammer für Arbeiter und Angestellte/Österreichischer Gewerkschaftsbund (eds.) (2005) Antidiskriminierung am Arbeitsplatz, Ein Ratgeber zum Erkennen und Bekämpfen von Diskriminierungen im Betrieb, Wien: Kammer für Arbeiter und Angestellte KMU Forschung Austria (2005), Endogenes Arbeitskräftepotenzial für die Internationalisierung Wiener Unternehmen: Einsatz von Personen mit ost- und südosteuropäischem Migrationshintergrund für grenzüberschreitende Aktivitäten, Vorläufiger Endbericht, Wien, unpublished manuscript König, K./B. Stadler (2003), „Entwicklungstendenzen im öffentlich-rechtlichen und demokratiepolitischen Bereich, Einwanderungs-, aufenthalts- und beschäftigungsrechtliches Regime“, in: Fassmann, H./I.Stacher (eds.) Österreichischer Migrations- und Integrationsbericht, Klagenfurt/Celovec: Verlag Drava, pp. 226 – 260 Kromer, I./A. Pfoser (2004) Austrian Background Report on the OECD Project „Starting Strong“, Vienna: Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, available at: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/9/46/34431926.pdf, (09.10.2005) Krumm, H.-J. (2005), Stellungnahme im Rahmen des Begutachtungsverfahrens mit dem das Niederlassungs- und Aufenthaltsgesetz erlassen wird, available at: http://www.parlinkom.gv.at/pls/portal/docs/page/PG/DE/XXII/ME/ME_00266_09/fname_03 9613.pdf, (05.10.2005) Leoni, T. (2004), The Labour Market Development of Oberwart and the Socio-Economic Situation of the Roma, WIFO Working Papers 226/2004, available at: http://pan2.wsr.ac.at/pls/portal30/docs/FOLDER/HOMEPAGE_GUDRUN_BIFFL/CURRE NT_RESEARCH/SOCIAL_POLICY_EQUAL/WP_2004_226$.PDF, (26.10.2004) Manolakos, Th./K. Sohler (2005), Gleiche Chancen im Betrieb? Diskriminierung von MigrantInnen am Wiener Arbeitsmarkt, Wien, available at: http://www.gleichechancen.at/down/M1_Endbericht_WienerAM.pdf, (20.05.2005) Netzwerk Sprachenrechte (2005), Stellungnahme zum Entwurf des Niederlassungs- und Aufenthaltsgesetzes (NAG) 2005, available at: http://www.sprachenrechte.at/, (05.10.2005) Obersteirische Initiativen zur interkulturellen Öffnung der Region (ed.) (2005), Über die Potenzialanalyse zur Requalifizierung: Ein steirisches Modell – Leitfaden zur Requalifizierungspraxis von Migrantinnen und Migranten, available at: http://www.ikoef.at/downloads/leitfaden_qualifizierungspraxis.pdf, (08.10.2005)

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Obersteirische Initiativen zur interkulturellen Öffnung der Region (ed.) (s.a.), Handbuch Interkulturalität, available at: http://www.ikoef.at/texte/handbuch_interkulturalitaet_bbrz.pdf, (08.10.2005) OECD (2004), Learning for Tomorrow’s World. First Results from PISA 2003, available at: http://a455.g.akamai.net/7/455/1879/v1/193.51.65.71/dataoecd/1/60/34002216.pdf, (25.09.2005) Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2005), Rückmeldung zum Informationsersuchen Focal Point 2005, Wien, unpublished manuscript Österreich, Bundeskanzleramt (2000), Religions in Austria Österreich, Bundesministerium für Finanzen (2004), Betrugsbekämpfung aktiv und offensiv, Wien, available at: https://www.bmf.gv.at/Publikationen/Downloads/BerichteBilanzen/Betrug2003.pdf, (05.10.2005) Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Asyl- und Fremdenstatistik 2003, available at: http://www.bmi.gv.at/downloadarea/asyl_fremdenwesen_statistik/Jahr2003.pdf, (10.10.2005) Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Asyl- und Fremdenstatistik 2004, Wien, available at: http://www.bmi.gv.at/downloadarea/asyl_fremdenwesen_statistik/Jahr2004.pdf, (05.10.2005) Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres (2005), Asyl- und Fremdenstatistik August 2005, available at: http://www.bmi.gv.at/downloadarea/asyl_fremdenwesen_statistik/062005.pdf, (10.10.2005) Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Kriminalitätsbericht, Statistik und Analyse 2004, Wien, pp. B2-B3, B 20 Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres (2005) Organisierte Schlepperkriminalität: Jahresbericht 2004/Organised THB Crime: Annual Report 2004, Wien, available at: http://www.bmi.gv.at/downloadarea/schlepperberichte/Jahresbericht_2004.pdf Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Bundesministerium für Justiz, Sicherheitsbericht 2004 Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Bundesministerium für Justiz, Sicherheitsbericht 2003 Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Bundesministerium für Justiz, Sicherheitsbericht 2002 Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz und Terrorismusbekämpfung, Verfassungsschutzbericht 2005, available at: http://www.bmi.gv.at/downloadarea/staatsschutz/VSB_05.pdf, (12.10.2005) Österreich, Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Arbeit, Tätigkeitsbericht der Arbeitsinspektion im Jahr 2003, Wien, available at: http://www.arbeitsinspektion.gv.at/NR/rdonlyres/4EAA3C47-9390-49F9-BC48723C01D3ECB4/0/jb2003.pdf, (05.10.2005) Österreichische Forschungsstiftung für Entwicklungshilfe (2005), Informationen zur Entwicklung der HörerInnenzahlen an den wissenschaftlichen österreichischen Universitäten, Wintersemester 2004/2005, available at: http://www.oefse.at/Downloads/publikationen/bza/0304/info_stud.pdf, (10.10.2005), data on 2004/05: preliminary figures Österreich, Menschenrechtsbeirat (2005), Menschenrechte in der Aus- und Fortbildung der Sicherheitsexekutive, Wien, available at: http://www.menschenrechtsbeirat.at/download/bericht_schulungen.pdf, (11.10.2005) Plutzar, V./I. Haslinger (2005), Sprachen & Qualifikationsportfolio für MigrantInnen und Flüchtlinge, Wien: Integrationshaus, available at: http://www.interface.or.at/sprachen.pdf, (11.10.2005)

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Pohn-Weidinger, A./C. Reinprecht (2005), Migrantinnen und Migranten in Wiener Einrichtungen der Erwachsenenbildung, Institut für Soziologie der Universität Wien, available at: http://www.migrant.at/reinprecht_studie.pdf, (06.10.2005) Pritz, C. (2004), Der Schutz von MigrantInnen vor Diskriminierung am Arbeitsplatz in Österreich, Wien Pritz, C./Graça P. Qu. (2004), Der Zugang von MigrantInnen zum Arbeitsmarkt in Österreich und Portugal, Wien RAXEN Focal Point for Austria (2003), National Report on Racial Violence, Vienna, November 2003 RAXEN Focal Point for Austria (2003), National Report on Housing RAXEN Focal Point for Austria (2004), National Annual Report Austria RAXEN Focal Point for Austria (2005), RAXEN 5 Rapid Response No 3- Update of the National Annual Report 2004 Rebhahn, R. (ed.) (2005) Kommentar zum Gleichbehandlungsgesetz, Wien: Verlag Springer Reinprecht, Ch./K. Kienzl-Plochbeger (2005), MigrantInnen im Gesundheits- und Sozialbereich und Zur Situation älterer MigrantInnen in Wien, Wien Röhsler, M.-Th. (2004), Transnationale Unternehmen und das Diskriminierungsverbot, Wien Statistik Austria (2002), Volkszählung 2001, Hauptergebnisse I – Österreich, Wien: Verlag Österreich Sperl, L. (2003) „Das Recht auf einen angemessenen Lebensstandard”, in: Sperl, L./K. Lukas/H. Sax (eds.) Wirtschaftliche, soziale und kulturelle Rechte von AsylwerberInnen, Wien: Verlag Österreich, pp. 121-170 Sperl, L. (2003) „Das Recht auf Gesundheit”, in: Sperl, L./K. Lukas/H. Sax (eds.) Wirtschaftliche, soziale und kulturelle Rechte von AsylwerberInnen, Wien: Verlag Österreich, pp. 215-222 Stopline, Annual Report 2004, p. 26, available at: http://www.stopline.at/fileadmin/stopline/files/Jahresbericht-2004-engl.PDF, (11.10.2005) Trauner, H./K. Sohler (2005), Betriebliche Maßnahmen gegen Diskriminierung und zur Gleichstellung von MigrantInnen und ethnischen Minderheiten im europäischen Vergleich, Wien, available at: http://www.gleichechancen.at/down/M1_Endbericht_EU.pdf, (08.10.2005) UNHCR (2005), Stellungnahme zum Entwurf eines Tiroler Grundversorgungsgesetzes, available at: http://www.unhcr.at/pdf/1267.pdf, (08.10.2005) Verein Neustart (2005), Stellungnahme zum Entwurf eines Bundesgesetzes, mit dem die Strafprozessordnung 1975 und das Staatsanwaltsgesetz geändert werden, available at: http://www.parlinkom.gv.at/pls/portal/docs/page/PG/DE/XXII/ME/ME_00297_16/fname_04 4694.pdf, (07.10.2005) Verein Weisser Ring (2005), Stellungnahme zum Entwurf eines Bundesgesetzes, mit dem die Strafprozessordnung 1975 und das Staatsanwaltsgesetz geändert werden, available at: http://www.parlinkom.gv.at/pls/portal/docs/page/PG/DE/XXII/ME/ME_00297_27/imfname _044618.pdf, (07.10.2005) Volkshilfe Österreich, Wohndrehscheibe, Jahresbericht 2004, Wien: Volkshilfe, available at: http://www.volkshilfe.at/contentthema/download/wds_jahresbericht_2004_web.pdf, (06.10.2005) Waldrauch, H./K. Sohler (2005) „Der muttersprachliche Unterricht in Österreich. Statistische Auswertung für das Schuljahr 2004/05”, in. Informationsblätter des Referats für

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interkulturelles Lernen Nr. 5/2005, available at: http://www.bmbwk.gv.at/medienpool/3720/nr5_05.pdf, (30.09.2005) Weiss, H. (2005a) „Die zweite Generation: Integrationswege – Integrationserfolge?“, in: Dossier 04/2005, Wien: Katholische Sozialakademie Österreichs, pp. 12-17 Weiss, H. (2005b); Die zweite Generation: Integrationswege – Integrationserfolge, unpublished manuscript ZARA, Racism Report 2004, available at: http://www.zara.or.at/materialien/rassismusreport/racism-report-2004.pdf, (04.10.2005)

Legal sources Allgemeines Sozialversicherungsgesetz – Austria / BGBl 189/1955 last amended by 108/2005, (05.10.2005) Anerkennungsgesetz – Austria / RGBl. 68/1874, (20.05.1874) Arbeitslosenversicherungsgesetz – Austria / BGBl 609/1977 last amended by BGBl 71/2005, (05.07.2005) Arbeitsverfassungsgesetz – Austria / BGBl 471/1992 Ausländerbeschäftigungsgesetz – Austria / BGBl 218/1975 last amended by BGBl 104/2005, (19.08.2005) Bundesbetreuungsgesetz – Austria / BGBl 405/1991 last amended by BGBl 100/2005 (16.08.2005), renamed as Grundversorgungsgesetz – Bund 2005 Bundes-Verfassungsgesetz – Austria / BGBl I 1/1930, last amendment by BGBl I 54/2005, (24.06.2005) Burgenländisches Antidiskriminierungsgesetz – Burgenland, LGBl 84/2005, (05.10.2005) EuGH / C-133/05, European Commission, Action brought against Austria, (21.03.2005), available: http://europa.eu.int/eurlex/lex/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2005/c_143/c_14320050611en00200020.pdf, (12.10.2005) Fremdengesetz – Austria / BGBl 75/1997 last amended by BGBl 151/2004, (30.12.2004) Fremdenrechtspaket 2005 – Austria / BGBl 100/2005, (16.08.2005) Gesetz betreffend die Regelung der äußeren Rechtsverhältnisse der israelitischen Religionsgesellschaft – Austria / RGBl 57/1890 last amended by 164/1988, (24.03.1988) Gesetz, mit dem die Wiener Stadtverfassung und die Wiener Gemeindewahlordnung 1996 geändert werden, Vienna, LGBl 22/2003, (21.05.2003) Gesetz über das Verbot der Diskriminierung – Vorarlberg, LGBl 17/2005, (28.05.2005) Gleichbehandlungsgesetz – Austria / BGBl I 66/2004, (23.06.2004) Gleichbehandlungskommission/Gleichbehandlungsanwaltschafts-Gesetz – Austria / BGBl I 66/2004, (23.06.2004) Grundversorgungsvereinbarung – Art 15a B-VG – Austria / BGBl 80/2004, (15.07.2004) Islamgesetz – Austria / RGBl 159/1912 last amended by BGBl 164/1988, (24.03.1988) Kärntner Antidiskriminierungsgesetz – Kärnten, LGBl 63/2004, (28.12.2004) Konkordat zwischen dem Heiligen Stuhl und Österreich 1933 – BGBl II 2/1934 Niederlassungs- und Aufenthaltsgesetz – Austria / BGBl 100/2005, (16.08.2005) NÖ Antidiskrminierungsgesetz – Niederösterreich, LGBl 9290/2005, (29.04.2005)

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NÖ Gleichbehandlungsgesetz – Niederösterreich, LGBl 2060/2005, (29.04.2005) NÖ Sozialhilfegesetz – Niederösterreich, LGBl 9200/2000 last amended by 9200/2004, (30.06.2004) OÖ Antidiskriminierungsgesetz – Oberösterreich, LGBl 50/2005, (06.05.2005) Österreich, Nationalrat, Beschluss des Nationalrates über ein Verbandverantwortlichkeitsgesetz, available at: http://www.parlinkom.gv.at/pls/portal/docs/page/PG/DE/XXII/BNR/BNR_00479/fname_04 9711.pdf, (07.10.2005) Österreich, Nationalrat, Beschluss des Nationalrates, Bundesgesetz mit die Strafprozessordnung 1975 das Staatsanwaltschaftsgesetz und das Tilgungsgesetz geändert werden, available at: http://www.parlinkom.gv.at/pls/portal/docs/page/PG/DE/XXII/BNR/BNR_00482/fname_04 9720.pdf, (07.10.2005) Österreich, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Ministerialentwurf betreffend ein Bundesgesetz, mit dem das Staatsbürgerschaftsgesetz 1985 (StbG) und das Tilgungsgesetz 1972 geändert werden, available at: http://www.parlament.gv.at/pls/portal/docs/page/PG/DE/XXII/ME/ME_00340/imfname_048 987.pdf, (11.10.2005) Österreich, Bundesministerium für Landesverteidigung, 65. Dienstbetrieb; Behandlung religiöser Minderheiten – Einberufung und Verwendung; zusammenfassende Richtlinien – Neufassung, GZ S93109/7-FGG1/2004, VBl I 65/2004, (16.06.2004) Religionsunterrichtsgesetz – Austria / BGBl 190/1949 last amended by BGBl 256/1993, (20.04.1993) Rückübernahmeabkommen mit Bulgarien – Austria / BGBl III 189/1998, (30.11.1998) Rückübernahmeabkommen mit Kroatien – Austria / BGBl III 177/1998, (01.11.1998) Rückübernahmeabkommen mit Rumänien – Austria / BGBl III 27/2002, (06.02.2002) Rückübernahmeabkommen mit Schweiz und Liechtenstein – Austria / BGBl III 1/2001, (01.01.2001) Rückübernahmeabkommen mit Serbien-Montenegro – Austria / BGBl III 66/2004, (18.06.2004) Rückübernahmeabkommen mit Tunesien – Austria / BGBl III 255/1965, (01.08.1965) Schulordnung – Austria / BGBl 402/1987, (21.08.1987) Staatsgrundgesetz – Austria / RGBl 142/1867, (23.12.1867) Staatsvertrag von Wien – Austria / BGBl III 152/1955, last amended by BGBl III 179/2002, (06.08.2002) Strafgesetzbuch – Austria / BGBl I 60/1974 last amended by BGBl I 68/2005, (05.07.2005) 1 Strafprozessordnung – Austria / BGBl 631/1975 last amended by BGBl 164/2004, (30.12.2004) Strafprozess-Reformgesetz – Austria / BGBl 19/2004, (23.03.2004) Tiroler Antidiskriminierungsgesetz – Tirol, LGBl 25/2005, (01.02.2005) Tiroler Landes-Gleichbehandlungsgesetz – Tirol, LGBl 1/2005, (11.01.2005) Tiroler Sozialhilfegesetz – Tirol, LGBl 105/1973 last amended by LGBl 27/2004, (13.04.2004) UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, Supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (2000), available at: http://www.uncjin.org/Documents/Conventions/dcatoc/final_documents_2/convention_%20t raff_eng.pdf, (06.10.2005)

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Wiener Sozialhilfegesetz – Wien, LGBl 11/1973 last amended by LGBl 15/2005, (29.03.2005)

The cited laws are all available at: http://www.ris.bka.gv.at/, (12.10.2005)

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Court decisions ECJ / C-465/01, (16.09.2004), available at: http://curia.eu.int/jurisp/cgibin/gettext.pl?lang=en&num=79959083C19010465&doc=T&ouvert=T&seance=ARRET, (06.10.2004) ECJ / C-147/03, (07.07.2005), available at: http://curia.eu.int/, (17.10.2005) EuGH / C-335/04, (04.05.2005), available at: http://curia.eu.int/, (12.10.2005) VfGH / G 213/01-18, (13.12.2001), available at: http://www.vfgh.at/cms/vfghsite/attachments/9/8/8/CH0006/CMS1108400716489/g213-01ua.pdf, (13.10.2005) VfGH / B 89/05 – 7, (11.09.2005), available at: http://www.vfgh.gv.at/cms/vfghsite/attachments/4/3/5/CH0006/CMS1113222175805/emigration_b89-05.pdf, (16.10.2005) VwGH / 2004/11/0070, 0071 vom 26.07.2005, available at: www.vwgh.gv.at/presse/recht_presse/2005/2004_11_0070.pdf, (17.10.2005)

Homepages of media and periodicals aon.at, http://www.aon.at der neue grazer + der neue steirer, http://www.grazer.at Der Standard, http://derStandard.at Die Presse, http://diepresse.com Falter, http://www.falter.at Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, http://www.faz.net Kleine Zeitung, http://www.kleine.at Kurier, http://www.kurier.at nachrichten.at, www.nachrichten.at Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF), http://www.orf.at Parlamentskorrespondenz, http://www.parlinkom.gv.at/portal/page?_pageid=893,79804&_dad=portal&_schema=PORT AL profil, http://www.profil.at Rathauskorrespondenz, http://wien.gv.at/vtx/vtx-rk-xlink/ Salzburger Nachrichten, http://www.salzburg.com/ Tiroler Tageszeitung, http://www.tirol.com Vorarlberger Nachrichten, http://www.vol.at/ Wiener Zeitung, http://wienerzeitung.at

Homepages of organisations and projects ABAD = Alter Bildung Alters Diskriminierung, http://www.zemit.at/projekte/abad.php amnesty international Österreich, http://www.amnesty.at/ Arbeitsinspektion, http://www.arbeitsinspektion.gv.at/ Asylkoordination, http://www.asyl.at

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Entwicklungspartnerschaft für Planung und Durchführung von Integrationsmaßnahmen für unbegleitete minderjährige Flüchtlinge und junge erwachsene Asylwerber/innen (EPIMA), http://www.epima.at Erweiterter Arbeitsmarkt – Integration durch Arbeit (IDA), http://www.ida-equal.at European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), http://www.coe.int/t/E/human_rights/ecri/ European Stability Initiative, http://www.esiweb.org/ Fonds Soziales Wien, http://www.fsw.at/ Gleichbehandlungsanwaltschaft, http://www.bmgf.gv.at/cms/site/themen.htm?channel=CH0210 Gleiche Chancen im Betrieb/Equal opportunities in companies, http://www.gleichechancen.at General Settlement Fund, http://www.nationalfonds.org/aef/english/index.htm Helping Hands Graz, http://helpinghands.htu.tugraz.at/ Institut für empirische Sozialforschung/Institute for Empirical Social Research, http://www.ifes.at Institut für Soziologie, Universität Wien/Department of Sociology at the University of Vienna, http://gerda.univie.ac.at/ifs Institut für Trendanalyse und Krisenforschung, http://www.itk.or.at Integration von MigrantInnen in den Arbeitsmarkt und Eröffnung neuer interkultureller Tätigkeitsfelder, http://www.wiso.or.at/wiso/projekte/aktuell.php#equal Interventionsstelle für Betroffene des Frauenhandels (IBF) – LEFÖ, http://www.lefoe.at/design/content.php?page=a&lang=de&content=181 Islamische Glaubensgemeinschaft in Österreich, http://www.derislam.at/, Israelitische Kultusgemeinde Wien, http://www.ikg-wien.at/ Kammer für Arbeiter und Angestellte (AK)/Chamber of Labour, http://www.arbeiterkammer.at Klagsverband zur Durchsetzung der Rechte von Diskriminierungsopfern, http://www.klagsverband.at/ KMU Forschung Austria/Austrian Institute for SME Research, http://www.kmuforschung.ac.at Kontrolle illegaler Arbeitnehmerbeschäftigung (KIAB), https://www.bmf.gv.at/Zoll/KontrolleillegalerA1583/_start.htm Landesschulrat für das Burgenland, http://www.lsr-bgld.gv.at/ Landesschulrat für Kärnten, http://www.landesschulrat-kaernten.at/ Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für Menschenrechte/Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights, http://www.univie.ac.at/bim MA 11, Drehscheibe für unbegleitete minderjährige Fremde, http://www.wien.gv.at/magelf/ MA 27, EU-Strategie und Wirtschaftsentwicklung, http://www.wien.gv.at/advuew/internet/AdvPrSrv.asp?Layout=stelle&Type=K&HLayout=p ersonen&stellecd=2000021815331828&AUSSEN=Y MA.DI.CU – Managing Diversity through culture, http://wwwgewi.kfunigraz.ac.at/unit/de/php/site/site_view.php?sid=site-6-5390&MaDiCu%20in%20Unternehmen&CMI%20Seite MIDAS – Wirksame Strategien und Maßnahmen gegen Rassismus und Diskriminierung am Arbeitsmarkt, http://www.midasequal.com Miteinander leben und arbeiten, http://www.miteinanderarbeitenundleben.at/

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Mountain Unlimited, Verein für gesellschaftliche Entwicklung und internationale Zusammenarbeit, http://www.mountain-unlimited.at/west/ Nationalsozialismus und Holocaust – Gedächtnis und Gegenwart, http://www.erinnern.at Obersteirische Initiativen zur interkulturellen Öffnung der Region (IKÖF), http://www.ikoef.at/ Open Up – Empowerment gegen Rassismus am Arbeitsmarkt, http://www.openup.at Operation Spring, http://www.operation-spring.com Österreichischer Gewerkschaftsbund (ÖGB)/Austrian Trade Union Congress, http://www.oegb.at qualifikation stärkt, http://www.interface.or.at/qstaerkt.htm Qualifizierung von InterkulturLotsen, http://www.interkulturlotsen.at no-racism.net, http://www.no-racism.net/ Schulberatungsstelle für MigrantInnen, http://www.interface.or.at/sbm.htm Steirische Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Alterswissenschaften und des Seniorenstudiums an der Universität Graz (GEFAS), http://www.seniorweb.at Stopline, ISPA, Internet Service Providers Austria, http://www.stopline.at/ Unabhängiger Bundesasylsenat/Independent Federal Asylum Review Board, http://www.ubas.gv.at/ UNHCR Wien, http://www.unhcr.at/ Urban Connection: Interkulturelles Frauen Netzwerk im URBAN II-Gebiet Wien, http://www.urban-connection.at Verschiedene Herkunft – gemeinsame Zukunft, http://www.equal-noe-lak.at Verein Neustart, http://www.neustart.at/ Weisser Ring, Die Kriminalitätsopferhilfe, http://www.weisser-ring.at Work in Process – Migrantische Selbstorganisation und Arbeit, http://www.work-in-process.at ZARA – Zivilcourage und Anti-Rassismus-Arbeit, http://www.zara.or.at Zentrum für MigrantInnen in Tirol (ZeMiT), http://www.zemit.at Zentrum für soziale Innovation (ZSI), http://www.zsi.at

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