Mothers of abused children seek safety in Switzerland

Swiss law better protects abused children, say French activists Keystone

A growing number of foreign mothers are fleeing to Switzerland with their abused children, but making their presence known is risky.

The vast majority of these women are French, though some come from Belgium and Spain.

They are often fleeing their justice system, which they believe is not taking the problem of child abuse seriously.

Virtually all have had legal claims against their husbands dismissed for lack of evidence.

Many of these women have fallen foul of the law themselves after refusing to allow fathers access to their children.

Faced with the prospect of prison or allowing their children back into the clutches of their alleged abusers, these mothers leave everything behind and head for Switzerland.

Some make use of an underground network that will ferry them across the Swiss border.

Their destination is often canton Vaud, because it is in Lausanne that the International Committee for the Dignity of the Child (CIDE), an organisation that has gained an international reputation for exposing paedophiles, is located.

In hiding

“It’s risky,” says a member of the French association, Innocence in Danger, pointing out that the women have to abandon their homes and jobs, “but Switzerland is a safer option that the safe houses we have in France”.

So far, at least 25 mothers, accompanied by 35 children, have sought CIDE’s help, but others are known to be living secretly in French-speaking Switzerland.

“When there’s just one mother claiming the French authorities aren’t taking her child’s claims seriously, it’s an isolated case.

When there are more than 20, then it’s a worrying social phenomenon,” says CIDE president, Georges Glatz.

In recent months, the organisation has found it increasingly difficult to cope with the number of exiled mothers seeking its help, and it in turn has asked the cantonal authorities for assistance.

The women come to Switzerland partly because of CIDE’s reputation and partly because they believe the Swiss take child abuse more seriously than the French authorities.

That view was reinforced by a decision by the neighbouring canton of Geneva to show a paedophile CD-Rom to French parents in the hope of identifying abused children and tracking down those responsible – something that the French authorities had refused to do.

Legal complexities

“To these mothers, Switzerland seems much more open when it comes to investigating these matters,” Glatz told swissinfo.

“From a legal and human perspective, these cases are very complex,” says Anne Giroud, head of canton Vaud’s children’s protection service.

Her department has just announced that the canton is granting legal protection to the children – but not the mothers, because there is no legal basis on which to do so.

For the duration of the child’s stay in Switzerland, he or she will be assigned a guardian, who will ensure that they are properly cared for.

Such measures are essential if the child is to benefit from similar protection once he or she has returned to their own country.

“We consider these children to be in danger, not only because of the abuse they may have suffered before, but because they have been taken from their normal surroundings, because their mother is in a state of distress, and because they are living clandestinely,” Giroud told swissinfo.

She says the mothers will be given financial assistance, as long as they agree to the protection measures and reveal their identities. But this is not without its dangers.

Most of the women seeking sanctuary in Switzerland prefer not to make themselves known to the authorities, fearing that they will be extradited.

“Women have come to CIDE and we have explained the rules that would allow them to receive help from the state, and many prefer to remain in hiding,” Glatz says.

He argues that the welfare of the child cannot be separated from that of the mother: “You cannot defend the rights of the child if you don’t help the mother.”

swissinfo, Roy Probert in Geneva

Child abuse summary

Mothers and their abused children are fleeing to Switzerland because they feel let down by their own justice systems and believe Swiss authorities take child abuse more seriously.

Most of the women are French, but some also come from Belgium and Spain. They often seek sanctuary with the Lausanne-based International Committee for the Dignity of the Child (CIDE).

But CIDE has found it difficult to cope with the growing number of exiled mothers and has sought help form the cantonal authorities.