Violence outpatient clinic needs to be expanded

At a rally, it was demanded that the offer of the violence outpatient clinic in Linz must be available 24/7. | At the Urban Nature Quest, citizens can submit nature observations.

 

"I went through hell three times!"
On September 9th, a rally took place in front of the State House in Linz advocating for a continuously open violence outpatient clinic in the Upper Austrian state capital. Since January 2026, there has been a violence outpatient clinic at the Kepler University Hospital. It is open on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. – excluding Wednesday shifts.

The trigger for the rally was the case of trans woman Viola. After a suspected rape, she was turned away from two hospitals in Linz and only received care at the third. She contacted the MOMENT magazine and made her case public. What followed: transphobia, blame-shifting, and a shift in the debate.

Already in 2025, Didem Wenger, a lawyer and organizer of the rally, campaigned with a petition for a violence outpatient clinic in the Upper Austrian capital. Other Austrian cities like Vienna, Graz, or Innsbruck, where similar structures already exist, served as models.

More about the petition and developments around a violence outpatient clinic can be heard in this FROzine broadcast from 2025.

 

Emergency numbers:

• Women’s helpline: 0800 222 555
• Violence Protection Center OÖ: 0732 60 77 60
• Men’s info: 0800 400 777
• Helpchat: www.haltdergewalt.at

 

 

Urban Nature Quest 2026

The Austrian Nature Conservation Union calls from September 18 to 21 to observe flora and fauna in urban areas. Whether in the garden, on the balcony, or on the street, citizens are encouraged to take photos of animals and plants they encounter in everyday life. This action is a so-called Citizen Science project. Citizens become amateur scientists and collect data that are evaluated by experts.

In the Urban Nature Quest, the diversity within the city area is to be researched based on the photos. Which plant species are most common, and which of them might be invasive species? In urban areas, there is a great diversity of species, with gardens playing a significant role. Well-maintained gardens can provide habitats or form so-called green bridges, explains Carolina Trcka-Rojas, ecologist from the Austrian Nature Conservation Union. These bridges help animals travel more safely. This could help avoid roads and, consequently, cars.

It is also important to note that less is more. Leave the grass a bit higher, do not remove everything that we humans consider “weeds,” and simply leave leaves in a corner of the garden – a little laziness helps nature! Animals find food and habitat in an environment that offers less and less space and is becoming more hostile due to climate change.

All information on how to participate in the Urban Nature Quest and what should be observed can be found here.