The Manifesto

Die Bruderschaft is a concrete point of contact – and an active contribution to violence prevention. Unaccompanied high-conflict situations often end in violence – on both sides. Early help keeps the dialogue alive. That saves relationships, protects children – and prevents worse outcomes.

This association is for anyone who feels lost. For anyone who thinks they are alone. For anyone who keeps going – even when it reaches personal limits. You are not alone!

While there is a comprehensive network of protection, counseling and crisis facilities for women in Austria, a comparable infrastructure for fathers and children is largely lacking. Die Bruderschaft sees itself as a necessary counterweight: not against women, but for children.

Our tool is conflict resolution – ideally before a separation conflict hardens through authorities and courts. Die Bruderschaft closes a systemic gap: dialogue, de-escalation, consensus.

The child's welfare is indivisible.

A child's actual emotional, social and intellectual development requires, in the vast majority of cases, both parents – active, present, committed.

Fatherhood is not a favor that is granted.

The ability to love and protect does not end with the end of a relationship. This right is not a gift from the court. It is a human right.

Prevention.

Early information and active de-escalation in the emerging phase of separation conflicts. Contested divorces are expensive – our approach helps directly and in the long term. We act preventively.

The association "die Bruderschaft" is neither politically, racially, nor ideologically aligned. We specialize in conflict resolution and de-escalation, supervised contact, and personal support in crisis situations. Our team has certified training in systemic coaching, conflict management and developmental psychology.

• We listen first. Always.
• We do not judge. Neither fathers nor mothers.
• We put the child at the center of every decision.
• We offer counseling, support and networking.
• We work transparently and anonymously.
• We do not give up – not even when others have given up.

Children know more than adults think. They sense the lies, the tension and when someone is missing. A child who is taught to hate their father will one day understand what happened – and struggle with the consequences for a lifetime.

Die Bruderschaft is the voice of these children. Until the child can, or is allowed to, speak for themselves.

Society's expectations of fathers have changed radically. The modern father is present, empathetic and actively involved. And yet, when a family breaks apart, he is still treated as a marginal actor: as someone obligated to pay, as someone entitled to visits, as an option.

What a father needs:

• Legal clarity: transparent, accessible, fair.
• Support in crisis: without stigma.
• Practical support: with applications, negotiations, appointments.
• Community: the knowledge that others are walking the same path.
• Hope: the certainty that the path is worth it.

There are many ways to bring about social change: petitions, media work, lobbying. We pursue all these paths – but we always start with the individual.

At the level of the individual – a point of contact for information, prevention and counseling, not only in a crisis.

At the level of the community – monthly regulars' tables, networking meetings, cooperations. We are building the infrastructure that was previously missing.

At the level of society – dialogue with politics, the judiciary, media and science.

The word Bruderschaft stands for community as a survival principle. Men in crisis don't need advice – they need to know that someone stands beside them.

What membership means:

• You take part – at regulars' tables, actions, projects.
• You share your knowledge, your experience, your resources.
• You respect the dignity of every person who comes to us.
• You put the child's welfare above all personal convictions.
• You stay – even when it gets difficult.

Community is scientifically proven to be a protective factor: people in social networks cope better with crises, make clearer decisions, and see ways out that isolated individuals do not see.

You did not stumble onto these pages by chance. There are no second-class members. The father fighting for his right to contact is just as valuable as the lawyer who helps him do so. What counts is willingness.

This manifesto is not made by an abstract collective, but by people with names, faces and stories. By Patrick Strobl, who founded this association. By Franz Hilber, who listens every day. By a team that is reachable seven days a week – because pain knows no opening hours.

• We will always listen before we speak.
• We will never subordinate the child's welfare to political interests.
• We will remain non-partisan.
• We will grow – but never at the expense of our values.
• We will not stop until every child has the right to both parents.