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Investigations into suspected sexual abuse of a 12-year-old in Vienna (symbolic image)

Photo: La Bicicleta Vermella / Getty Images

According to police findings, a twelve-year-old girl in Austria was repeatedly pressured into sex by a total of 17 suspects over a period of months, including threats.

A police spokesman in Vienna said investigations were underway into suspected sexual abuse.

In one case, according to the victim, violence was used, which is why a 16-year-old was accused of rape.

Due to the age of the victim, even the cases in which no violence was involved were considered serious sexual abuse of a minor.

»Several times a week for several months«

13 young people were picked up for questioning at the same time on Thursday, were later released and reported.

The other suspects are either underage or their identities are still unknown.

The now 13-year-old appeared at the police station with her mother in October 2023 and described the crimes, it was said.

She was pressured into sexual contacts through threats, the means of pressure: pictures and videos of her would be published.

The incidents took place in Vienna from February 2023 to June 2023, according to the police.

The victim spoke of attacks “several times a week over several months.”

Crime scenes included stairwells, parking garages, apartments and a hotel room.

"Specifically, the victim often skipped school to meet the accused," said a police spokesman.

The suspects, almost all of whom were known to the police for property and violent crimes, knew each other from spending time in parks, it said.

The then twelve-year-old first met one of the young people there.

The series of attacks ended when the girl met her current boyfriend, who was the same age, the police said.

“Screaming day” against femicides in Vienna

In view of violence against women and murder cases, the Austrian Women's Ring called for a "screaming day" on Friday to protest against femicides.

"We don't want to and can no longer tolerate this deep-seated hatred of women," shouted Klaudia Frieben, trade unionist and chairwoman of the Austrian Women's Ring, as the "Standard" reported.

Last week, a total of four women and a 13-year-old were found dead in Vienna on one day.

The SPÖ then called for a crisis meeting, whose women's chairwoman warned: The state must better protect women from violence.

According to the UN, 89,000 women and girls will have been killed worldwide in 2022.

That was the highest level in 20 years.

More than half of these murders, around 55 percent, were committed by family members or (ex-)partners (read more about this here).

aeh/dpa