Universal Periodic Review

Work to combat discrimination against women and improve access for persons with disabilities in the workplace

Proponent:

Remarks to progress by Liga (last modified Dec 31, 2024):

With this in mind, in August 2023 the ACA also published the report „Violence and Victim Protection for Women“, which highlights the potential for effective protection of women affected by violence. The ACA highlights shortcomings in strategic planning and recommends a coordinated joint strategy between the federal ministries and the federal states (Gewalt- und Opferschutz für Frauen, BUND 2023/21: https://www.rechnungshof.gv.at/rh/home/home/2023_21_Gewalt_und_Opferschutz_Frauen.pdf). An important civil society initiative in this area is the Neighbourhoods Without Partner Violence Initiative („StoP Partner Violence“) with the participation of the umbrella organisation Autonomous Austrian Women’s Shelters (for the initiative, see https://stop-partnergewalt.at/). The Austrian women’s organisations point out that violence against women, including femicide and domestic violence, is still reaching alarming proportions. In this critical situation, political, legal and financial measures that go beyond current measures are needed to effectively combat violence against women. In Austria, there is a distinction between people who are fit for work and those who are not. The ability or inability to work is determined exclusively on the basis of medical criteria, often directly after school. The federal states are responsible for people who are not fit for work, while the federal government is responsible for people who are fit for work. Hardly any measures have been taken with regard to the group of people who are unable to work. These people continue to work in day labour and employment structures, but do not receive a wage and have no independent social insurance (with the exception of accident insurance). This leads to increased poverty in old age and there is no data on the transition to the regular labour market. There are no nationwide uniform measures to make this possible and the planned measures in the National Action Plan 2022-2030 have not yet been implemented (see National Action Plan on Disability available on the website of the Ministry of Social Affairs: https://www.sozialministerium.at/Themen/Soziales/Menschen-mit-Behinderungen/Nationaler-Aktionsplan-Behinderung.html). Support services for people who are able to work are largely linked to a certain degree of disability (GdB), which means that people who do not have a degree of disability (GdB) determined by the state are excluded from corresponding support measures. The measures offered by the Public Employment Service (AMS) are not fully accessible to people with disabilities. As a result, unemployed people with disabilities are less likely to take part in AMS training programmes than unemployed people without disabilities.    There are only a few measures to combat gender-specific employment imbalances and wage gaps, apart from higher wage cost support for women with disabilities as part of the „Inclusion Support Plus“ programme (Inklusionsförderung/InklusionsförderungPlus: https://www.wko.at/service/arbeitsrecht-sozialrecht/inklusionsfoerderung-inklusionsfoerderungplus.html). There are no specific labour market policy measures for women with disabilities (wage subsidies: Website of the Social Ministry Service: https://www.sozialministeriumservice.at/Finanzielles/Foerderungen/Lohnfoerderungen/Lohnfoerderungen.de.html).