Teichtmeister verdict: FPÖ calls for higher penalties

The FPÖ is also calling for a lifelong automatic ban on the activity of convicted sex offenders so that they no longer come into contact with people in need of protection.

It’s not about “outlawing people for life, but about protecting children,” emphasized FPÖ justice spokesman Harald Stefan at a joint press conference with constitutional spokeswoman Susanne Fürst. Convicted perpetrators are no longer allowed to work with children and those in need of protection professionally or in their free time; this should also apply to leisure activities such as youth camps, scouts or sports clubs, says Stefan.

In order to implement this, the FPÖ demands that such convictions remain on the criminal record for life. Your own criminal record should also be easier to access and free of charge – but not publicly visible. “We don’t want a pillory (…) that everyone can look on the Internet,” emphasized Stefan.

An increase in punishment is also required. The minimum sentence should be five years in prison, the maximum sentence should be 15 years or even life imprisonment “if this directly or indirectly leads to serious harm or possibly even death to the victim.” It’s about making it clear “that these are real capital crimes.” When experts and Teichtmeister’s lawyer Rudolf Mayer pointed out that higher penalties would not help, Stefan said it was always difficult to assess whether that was really the case. It’s also about giving society a feeling for how serious an act is. “We have an imbalance between property crimes and crimes against life and limb.”

In addition, the FPÖ wants, among other things, stricter state funding guidelines: If, for example, a childcare facility violates guidelines and employs people with a criminal record, the funding should be stopped, says Stefan. The FPÖ package also provides for the state to cover the costs of therapy (although the state should be able to take recourse against the perpetrator). When it comes to psychological procedural assistance during the procedure for victims, there should be “cost reimbursement” so that those affected can choose the therapists themselves.

In addition, the FPÖ proposes to expand the Ombudsman’s office as a “central contact point” for child protection. For example, special legal assistance should be offered to victims and a reporting center should be set up for suspected cases. According to Stefan and Fürst, more resources should also be made available for the fight against child abuse in the area of ​​combating cybercrime. Also on the blue wish list is a “reduction in barriers to access to drive inhibitors” and a “ban on child sex dolls”.

The package announced by the federal government to tighten this area will be “taken a look at,” said Stefan. “I believe that there are already the right approaches.” He is convinced that it won’t go as far as we would like, but he can imagine that we will go along with it, as a partial step.