Violence against children to be expressly prohibited

The Federal Council announced on Wednesday that it had opened the consultation process for a corresponding amendment to the civil code, and it will focus on prevention practices. Keystone / Nicolas Armer

The Federal Council is going one step further in the fight against violence against children. The Swiss government wants to explicitly anchor the principle of non-violent upbringing in the Swiss civil code. In addition to slaps and other corporal punishment, this also concerns psychological abuse.

The Federal Council announced on Wednesday that it had opened a consultation process for a corresponding amendment to the civil code. The aim is to strengthen prevention processes in particular.

Currently, violence against children is not permitted in parenting. Children are protected by criminal law. Last year, a parliamentary motion instructed the Federal Council to anchor non-violent parenting in the civil code.

According to the press release, the new provision should explicitly state that parents must bring up a child “without the use of physical punishment and other forms of degrading violence”. It is a guiding principle and sends a clear signal that violence will not be tolerated. The consultation process will last until November 23, 2023.

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