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Guidelines presented to boost protection of victims of violence

Group of women protesting against violence
Last week, protestors marched in Geneva to demand a national plan to combat violence against women. Keystone/Jean-Christophe Bott

A national conference attended by Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter is considering better protection for victims of violence in Switzerland.

The one-day meeting focuses on possibilities of electronic monitoring and on child victims of domestic violence, the Federal Office for Gender Equality said.

New guidelines, presented to the more than 300 participants of the conference, come following reforms of the criminal code that give increased powers to the prosecution authorities.

Keller-Sutter last Friday told a special women’s session that the government would soon present a report about the use of electronic monitoring with wrist and ankle tags of perpetrators of violence.

Last year, police recorded more than 46,000 violent crimes in Switzerland, including more than 20,000 domestic offences.

About 27,000 children and teenagers are affected by domestic violence every year, officials said.

The conference brings together representatives from police, public prosecutor’s offices, courts, child protection and other victim support groups.

Non-governmental groups have criticised that Switzerland does not have an explicit ban on domestic violence.

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