Ausztria noszervezetei - SEGITSEGKERES

[Eszter]

Remelem, nem volt meg a listan ez a level - egy hetig nem tudtam olvasni a
postankat. Ha megis, akkor ezer boccs. Sziasztok! Eszter

Dear all, I forward a question for help of the Austria women's movement.
They risk to loose all their budgets and ask to write protest letters (by
e-mail).

URGENT ALERT FOR ACTION !! (please forward to all)
9 February 2000

Dear women,

Please help us because otherwise most of Austria's women's NGOs have to
close down. The work of decades can be ruined very soon. Please, remember
last week's plea. Send us lists of addresses (preferably e-mail) of the
most important media and politicians in your country!!
Here is our statement which we will ask you to pass on:

WOMEN's NGO's THREATENED:
RIGHT WING AUSTRIAN GOVERNMENT ABOLISHES WOMEN'S MINISTRY
Most of the Austrian women's organisations and projects are faced with the
possibility that they will receive no or not enough state funding as a
result of the controversial right-wing government's decision to abolish
the
Ministry for Women's Affairs. This not only means that women's affairs
have
been demoted to a junior department in a sprawling Ministry of Social
Affairs but also that the budget will come to about forty per cent of last
year's level.
This accords with the overall policy of the new government, comprising the
conservative People's Party and the populist right-wing Freedom Party,
which defines its policy with regard to fifty per cent of the population
basically as an integral part of family policy.

Vice-chancellor Susanne Riess-Passer claimed in a televised interview on
February 8, 2000 that the former women's ministry had been merely symbolic
because it had no budget and no powers (both claims untrue). She used this
argument to justify the ministry's abolition altogether. There will not be
a larger budget for women; at least not for independent organisations.

Discrediting NGOs

The new coalition partner, the right-wing Freedom Party, is not reticent
in
voicing its opinion on the role of NGOs. For thirty years, they claim,
they
have received funding from a government lead by Social Democrats   for
doing nothing. This not only discredits the invaluable work done by NGOs
in
Austria (and world-wide) and disregards the recognition NGOs have received
in all the relevant international bodies like the UN and the EU. It is
slander.

Massive protest in Austria - Since it became clear that for the first time
in Europe a party whose members praise the Nazi regime and play down its
atrocities will be allowed into government, a wave of protest has spread
across the country. Peaceful demonstrations by thousands of people are
being held every evening. A big rally will be taking place on February 19,
2000. About a quarter of a million demonstrators from all over Austria are
expected.

We urge you to support the women's NGOs in their struggle to survive and
all Austrians who are strictly against allowing racists and neo-fascists
to
govern a country in the European Union! Please, write letters of protest
via E-mail to:

- The new Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel
<schuessel at oevp.or.at who is mainly responsible for bringing the Freedom
Party into government

- To Austrian President Thomas Klestil
<thomas.klestil at hofburg.at

MEDIA
Please, also support us on an international level and address your
governments to put further pressure on this shameful Austrian Government,
·address the media in your country to keep reporting on the situation 
MONEY
Please, help us with donations to get us through this crisis: our account: 
Verein autonome österreichische Frauenhäuser WAVE our account number:
610 782 021 our bank details: Bank Austria, Mariahilfer Strasse 70, A-1070
Vienna, Austria, bank code: 20151, international swift code: BKAUATWW
____________________

Thank you very, very much!!
Verena & Birgit
WAVE Office
c/o Information Centre Against Violence
Austrian Women's Shelter Network
Hofgasse 9/1/4 A-1050 Vienna, Austria
phone: ++43-1-5482720 fax: ++43-1-5482720-27
wave at xpoint.at

web site: <http://www.wave-network.org