Women violence victims ‘should be taken more seriously’

Women should be given more confidence in the Swiss system when they speak out against violence. Keystone / Luis Berg

Switzerland’s police, judiciary and social welfare services need to strengthen levels of trust among women who are victims of violence, a government minister says.

Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter on Monday launched a nationwide initiative that brings together key actors on a federal and cantonal level.

It comes against a backdrop of criticism from international bodies that Switzerland needs to do more to protect women from acts of violence.

Last week, a report from the Council of Europe spoke of a “persistence of gender stereotypes within the judiciary that may lead to women victims of gender-based violence being made to feel guilty and to the seriousness of this violence being downplayed,” in Switzerland.

“Women victims of violence do not have equal access to shelter accommodation and high-quality assistance throughout the country,” the report added.

This comes after the United Nations called for a better alignment of the rights of women among all cantons.

The tenor of both reports is that while Switzerland is making progress in law reforms and the implementation of the Istanbul Convention on violence against women, some structures and ingrained attitudes need to change.

Keller-Sutter is determined to give victims of violence greater confidence to come forwards with their complaints.

“We have to ensure that the victims feel that they are being taken seriously,” she said.

The latest initiative is to combine with the strategic dialogue “Domestic Violence” in the spring and closely coordinate with the National Action Plan for the Implementation of the Istanbul Convention.