The Alabama of Europe
The Times - Experts reveal that one in six girls in Austria abused at home
The unfathomable crime of Josef Fritzl has prompted experts to reveal that incestuous abuse is a regular occurrence in Austrian families.
Charlotte Aykler, the head of Violence Prevention Centre, an NGO dealing with victims of family violence that is also active in Amstteten, claims that incest and sexual abuse in Austrian families are widespread.
Mrs Aykler said: “Every sixth girl and every ninth boy has experienced sexual violence within their families. But it is always connected to much, much shame, and children are simply not speaking about it.” According to Mrs Aykler, the figures are based on the moderate estimates by experts dealing with the subject, but the real numbers could be drastically higher.
Well, sounds like snooty Brits are going to have to revise their redneck jokes. And anyway, at least Americans can commit their incest without needing secret bunker-style eight-door sex dungeons.
(Okay, fine, I shouldn’t be flippant about this, but good lord.)
May 6th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Is there a rash of divorced-remarried families in Austria? Almost all cases of sexual abuse of a child involve a step-parent (usually step-father). Natural fathers are basically the least likely (of all the combinations) to be abusers of their children. At least in normal western countries.