AUSTRIA | Annual Report 2024 on the activities of the National Preventive Mechanism

At the core of the activities of the Austrian National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) is the early identification and elimination of risk factors for human rights violations. For this reason, the NPM again visited a large number of facilities in 2024.

A total of 458 monitoring visits were conducted. The NPM considers this large number of visits important to be able to investigate facilities regularly and comprehensively. The monitoring visits of the Austrian NPM in 2024 took place throughout Austria:

• 95% of the visits took place in facilities and institutions where persons are or can be deprived of their liberty;
  
  
• 5% involved the observation of police operations;
  
  
• The majority of these visits were unannounced (only 13% were announced);
  
  
• The majority of these visits took place in so-called ‘less traditional’ places of detention, such as retirement and nursing homes, child and youth welfare facilities, and institutions for persons with disabilities.

Staff shortages continue to be a problem

The current challenges in politics and the economy are also being felt in the facilities. The NPM has been pointing out this deteriorating situation for some time now. One of the main reasons is the continuing shortage of staff, which makes it even more difficult to meet the growing challenges faced by these institutions and facilities.

In its 2024 report, the Austrian NPM therefore reiterated its recommendation that the facilities must be equipped with sufficient financial resources and appropriately qualified staff, as they are essential factors in creating humane conditions in the country.

The full report is available in the download section further below. Previous reports from the Austrian NPM can be accessed on the Website of the Austrian Ombudsman Board.

Source: Austrian Ombudsman Board