Anti-Discrimination The fact that many women shy away from filing a complaint when their rights are violated is not only reflected in such serious cases as experiencing violence. In other cases of discrimination, for instance concerning the denial of benefits by authorities, women often refrain from contacting complaints offices as well. A third fewer complaints from women This is also reflected in the number of complaints received by the AOB. Since 2013, the AOB has been keeping track of the gender distribution of the complaints it receives and sees a striking difference between women and men. In 2013, 17,307 persons wrote to the AOB – 6,115 women and 9,796 men. The remaining 1,396 letters were from groups. Therefore, 3,681 fewer women than men appealed to the AOB – in other words, a third. The figures were similar in 2014: from 15,830 letters to the AOB, only 5,514 came from women, 8,906 came from men and 1,410 from groups. Efforts to equalise gender distribution in incoming complaints The AOB would like to encourage women to appeal to bring their concerns to redress mechanisms like the AOB in cases of violence, discrimination and any violation of their rights and to assert their rights. Therefore, the AOB has targeted the outcome that the number of female complainants should match that of male complainants. Therefore, Ombudswoman Gertrude Brinek initiated a dialogue with women on 24 November 2014, the day prior to the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Dialogue to make women aware of rights During these dialogues with women, it shall be discussed with female networkers in how far the AOB can achieve this outcome for actual equality between women and men and how it can do a better job in the future in helping women assert their rights. More than 80 representatives of NGOs, women’s shelters, women’s associations, women’s counselling centres, the judiciary and politics participated at the first event within the scope of this series of dialogues. Various factors were discussed that prevent women from appealing to authorities, such as work overload due to the double burden of a job outside the home and childcare or the economic imbalance between women and men. Furthermore, in the opinion of many participants, the image of women still does not include exercising the rights they are entitled to with self-confidence. The AOB hopes that this event, which was only the first of several planned dialogues with women, contributed to a greater awareness of women’s rights and encourages women to exercise their rights self-confidently. 52