The focus of the funding is on rural areas, older women, forced marriage and digitalization.
The Federal Chancellery is funding 18 projects to empower women and girls with a total of two million euros. Around 7,000 people are set to benefit, according to the department of Minister for Women Susanne Raab (ÖVP). The selected projects are intended to support women in rural areas, women over 60 and women on farms and improve their participation in society. A focus is also on projects that work against forced marriage.
The aim is to combat cultural and kinship-based violence, and the projects are intended to show ways out and raise awareness of specialized institutions. Women and girls are also to be empowered in the digital space. “Every woman and girl must know that they can achieve anything in their lives and live the way they want,” Raab emphasized in a statement. The projects will be implemented between September 1, 2024 and December 31, 2025.
For example, a project by the “EqualiZ” association, which aims to promote the participation and self-confidence of girls and women in rural regions of Carinthia and combat gender stereotypes, is receiving around 150,000 euros in funding. Around 190,000 euros are being given to an Austria-wide project by the Johannes Kepler University in Linz. Schoolgirls are to be informed about the dangers of cybercrime through artificial intelligence and acquire knowledge to protect themselves from it. A project by the “Mafalda” association, which educates people in Styria about human and women’s rights and forced marriage, is receiving almost 120,000 euros.
