The Swiss voice in the world since 1935
Top stories
Stay in touch with Switzerland

Government welcomes improved reporting on sexual harassment

Women entering a lift with three men
Sexual harassment is widespread in the public space but exact figures on the number of cases are not available, according to the govenrment. © Keystone/Gaetan Bally

Sexual harassment is widespread in Switzerland but reliable data about unwanted behaviour is not available, according to an expert report.

Women are the victims in nine out of ten cases most cases of harassment and incidents occur mainly in the public space, but children and teenagers are increasingly attacked on the internet.

The study, which was commissioned by the government, found that statistical data on sexual harassment is insufficient.

The main reasons are differences in the definition of harassment, the limited number of incidents reported to police as well as a lack of awareness of the issue among police and justice authorities, the experts said.

The Swiss government said it approved the reportExternal link on Wednesday, saying it supported efforts to improve the situation.

It added that it adopted a report last year setting out an agenda to prevent escalating violence against women.

Scandals about abuse and sexual harassment in sports and at the workplace have raised public attention to the issue. International data also found an increase in cases of bullying in schools.

Popular Stories

News

Swiss unemployment rate rises in August

More

Workplace

Swiss unemployment rate up slightly in August

This content was published on The Swiss job market deteriorated slightly last month. The number of unemployed rose by almost 3,000 (+2.3%) month-on-month to 132,105.

Read more: Swiss unemployment rate up slightly in August
WC duck gets its own stamp

More

History

Duck toilet cleaner gets its own Swiss stamp

This content was published on Swiss Post has launched a stamp featuring an image of the Duck toilet cleaning dispenser, as part of a series honouring Swiss inventiveness.

Read more: Duck toilet cleaner gets its own Swiss stamp
Switzerland and France sign accords on managing Rhone River and Lake Geneva

More

Climate adaptation

Switzerland and France sign accords to manage shared waters

This content was published on Switzerland and France have signed two agreements on the management of the waters of the Rhône River and Lake Geneva, almost 14 years after discussions on the subject began.

Read more: Switzerland and France sign accords to manage shared waters

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

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.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR