A gang of children attacks a teenager in the heart of Vienna!
In a shocking incident, a 16-year-old girl was violently attacked in the Wiener Prater area by a group of teenagers.
The victim was subjected to severe beating and kicking even after falling to the ground, before her personal bag, which contained money and headphones, was stolen. What is alarming is that one of the attackers filmed the assault and posted the video on social media, believed to have reached TikTok.
The police identified three suspects, and it turned out that the youngest is a girl who is only 12 years old and holds Romanian citizenship. Due to her young age, she is not legally accountable, but authorities will question her in the coming days.
Two more teenagers have been arrested: a 14-year-old Syrian boy found in possession of stolen items, and a 15-year-old Iraqi boy, both detained in justice centers. Preliminary investigations indicate that the crime was not random, as information suggests a prior dispute between the victim and one of the perpetrators, supporting the hypothesis that the incident was a planned act of revenge.
The incident highlights once again the increasing violence among children and adolescents in Austria, especially in the capital, Vienna. Official statistics for 2024 show a concerning increase of 23.8% in the number of cases registered against children aged 10 to 14, reaching about 12,000 reports. For the age group of 14 to 18 years, around 34,800 cases were recorded.
The police indicate that 48% of the suspects in this age group are non-Austrian nationals, with Romanians, Germans, and Syrians leading the nationalities. Authorities describe this situation as an 'explosive mix' resulting from a lack of future prospects, peer pressure, and deteriorating social conditions, all driven by the influences of social media that turn violence into a heroic challenge.
In light of this deterioration, MA11, the child and youth welfare agency in the city of Wien, has called for urgent legislative reform. The department head, Ingrid Pöschmann, said in an interview with ORF: "We need an amendment to the federal law that allows for the establishment of closed institutions for these children, where we can develop real and effective solutions."
So far, there is no legal means to safely detain children under the age of 14, even in cases where they pose a risk to others. These children remain in open institutions or in their parents' homes, while caregivers experience intense pressure, aware that the next incident may be imminent.