Institutions for persons with disabilities the opinion that it is imperative to build alternatives to home structures and facilitate living close to the local community with the relevant support. This would enable persons with disabilities to live in their familiar environment, take part in social life and be able to use the regular infrastructure. On a monitoring visit to a residential facility in Tyrol, Commission 1 learned of an incident that amounted to sexual harassment. A male employee shaved the private parts of a younger, nonverbal, female client without her consent and without any medical or care-related indication for the same. After some discussion, the facility reacted with the mutual termination of his contract of employment. The commission criticised in this context that this employee was still employed in the facility for a further two months after the incident and was allowed to work alone on day shifts – even if on a different floor. According to the regional management, there are violence prevention and sex education concepts, but these have not yet been brought to the attention of the employees. Commission 1 reported that the management level had not originally assessed the act of the employee as sexual harassment but as “inappropriate exaggerated diligence”. Acts of sexual and sexualised violence committed by qualified staff working in the area of persons with disabilities are still very much treated as a taboo and covered up due to misunderstood solidarity or out of fear of endangering the reputation of the institution. This is not helpful in addressing the structurally related dependence of persons with disabilities living in residential facilities. X Violence prevention shall be a fundament in every institution and facility for persons with disabilities. Failures can become more evident in emergency situations. X Adequate staffing can reduce the risk of violence. X Persons with disabilities shall be protected against violence. Violence prevention shall focus on the right to self-determination, privacy, the right to physical and emotional integrity (protection against sexual assault) as well as the right to sex education and sex counselling. 2.4.9 Suspected exploitation 99 Inappropriate use of public funds In 2019 Commission 3 visited a facility for persons with disabilities in Carinthia which was organised as an agricultural operation. The clients between the ages of 15 and 55 were to be offered integration into the workforce through training and occupational activity. Although the commission found the work with animals positive, the almost complete lack of qualified agricultural staff was noticeable. The commission had the impression that the residents and external persons with disabilities performed the agricultural work almost

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