Swiss urged to build on gender discrimination progress

Women continue to fight for equality, such as the Women's Strike day of action in 2019. © Keystone / Peter Klaunzer

The United Nations has set Switzerland the challenge of implementing 70 measures to combat gender discrimination, including a new definition of sexual consent relating to rape.

The UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) gave a largely positive verdict to recent advances in Switzerland.

In particular, the committee praised Switzerland’s reform of the Equality Act in 2020, a vote to allow same-sex marriages, the Alpine state’s Gender Equality Strategy 2030 and its intention to implement the Istanbul Convention on violence against women.

But Switzerland still has work to do, said CEDAW in its report issued on Monday.

The rights of women should be better aligned among all cantons and pay discrimination is still not being fully tackled, the commission said.

CEDAW also wants Switzerland to amend its criminal law to comply with international standards on consent to sex. Parliament is currently considering an update to define rape as sex without consent even if no force is used.

The Swiss Federal Office for Gender Equality said it would analyse the recommendations. The UN is due to issue an interim report on their progress in 2024.

Switzerland ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in 1997.