The town of Erstfeld in central Switzerland has erected a memorial to the victims of administrative detentions last century.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/jc
The memorial is a two-metre granite stone surrounded by two wooden benches facing the River Reuss and the mountains. It bears a plaque reminding people that throughout a large part of the 20th century, tens of thousands of Swiss children, adolescents and adults were placed in prisons and institutions without any judicial order.
The local government in canton Uri stressed that the file was not closed on this “dark chapter” in Swiss history and said the authorities wanted to make further investigations into who were subjected to coercive measures such as placements, sterilisations or guardianship.
Only 25 people from the canton have so far applied for compensation from the federal government, which has set up a fund for this purpose. However, the government assumes that the number of citizens concerned is in fact much higher. The research is not easy, especially since many children from Uri were placed in other cantons and vice versa.
A study is underway in the canton to collect missing data on the victims of these practices, which began in the mid-19th century and continued until 1981.
Other memorial sites have recently been erected in Switzerland, for example in St Gallen and Chur. The number of victims throughout the country is estimated at 50,000-60,000. A budget of CHF300 million ($302 million) has been made available to compensate them. Nearly 9,000 people have filed a claim for compensation with the federal authorities.
More
More
Teenage prisoners receive government apology
This content was published on
She was speaking at a commemorative event at Hindelbank women’s prison, canton Bern, where up until the late 1960s girls aged 14-18 were placed for “administrative care” for no other reason than a recommendation from the guardianship authorities. Although Hindelbank stopped its “re-education” policy in 1969, young people were still being deprived of their freedom…
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
This content was published on
TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
This content was published on
The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
This content was published on
China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
This content was published on
The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Report uncovers troubling chapter of Swiss social history
This content was published on
The expert commission's final report has revealed that some 60,000 people were forcibly interned in nearly 650 institution in the 20th century.
This content was published on
The black-and-white photos by photographer Jos Schmid are stark images depicting those affected. The book of portraits has been commissioned by the IEC (Independent Expert Commission of the Federal Council) to focus on the individualsExternal link (link in German) who fell victim to Switzerland’s “administrative care” system. It is the first volume in a series of ten dedicated…
This content was published on
Clare O’Dea speaks to victims of historic abuse and neglect in Switzerland’s inadequate care system of the 1920s to 1970s and takes a closer look at the social and economic pressures at play. After years of campaigning by survivors, Swiss society now recognises that children in the past care system were badly let down. The Swiss government has…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.