New Swiss national hotline for domestic violence victims to launch after delays

Recent cases of femicides in Switzerland have prompted protests and calls for action, such as in Bellizona last February. Keystone / Ti-Press / Elia Bianchi

After several delays, a new national hotline for victims of domestic violence will go live on Friday, as federal and cantonal authorities vow to continue tackling the growing number of offences.

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The launch of the hotline for victims of domestic violence, a short-dial service on the number 142, had been delayed for technical reasons at a time when the number of feminicides is rising.

In 2025, 22,066 violence-related offences were recorded, an increase of 4.4% on the previous year, said the head of the Valais cantonal government Matthias Reynard, who is also president of the Conference of Cantonal Directors of Social Affairs.

“With this [short-dial] number, immediate and permanent access to assistance is guaranteed,” said Reynard. The hotline, which will operate 24 hours a day, will be managed at the cantonal level. Staff have been trained, and minimum standards are guaranteed in every canton, Justice Minister Beat Jans said.

Reynard, Jans and other officials addressed the press on Monday to mark five years since the cantons and the Confederation launched an initiative to combat domestic and sexual violence.

“The results are good,” said Jans, before adding that additional measures were still needed.

Lack of emergency housing

Electronic monitoring of perpetrators of domestic violence must be strengthened, said Vassilis Venizelos of the canton of Vaud, who pointed out a starter kit will be made available to the cantons.

But these tools alone are not enough. Emergency housing options are still too limited. Access to assistance varies “far too much” from canton to canton, said Reynard. Current structures are under pressure, and certain situations require more specific measures.

Jacqueline Fehr, who leads the Zurich department of justice, said in an interview with Tamedia newspapers earlier this month that some 40% of shelter places in the canton of Zurich went to women and children from other cantons.

Zurich’s own domestic violence hotline was in high demand, particularly at night, she added. The hotline has been in place since November. Fehr was critical of the multiple delays to the national hotline launch, stating that “unless you take a very firm line, the authorities tend to push domestic violence down the list of priorities”.

Reforms on the horizon

More than half of all homicides in Switzerland take place in the domestic sphere, according to official data. Recent cases have prompted greater awareness and calls for authorities to act. In late February, demonstrators held a vigil in Bellizona, southern Switzerland, after two of the five femicides recorded in the country in the first two months of year occurred in Ticino.

The federal government launched the first national prevention campaign against domestic and sexual violence in November. The campaign comes with a website, without-violence.chExternal link, available in five languages, where victims can obtain information, advice and various forms of support.

The cantons and the federal government intend to strengthen the legal framework tackling gender-based violence. The Federal Council’s reform of the Victim Assistance Act, for example, aims to facilitate access to initial medical care with free forensic documentation.

The federal government also plans to present a bill next year aimed at better protecting victims in civil proceedings, as well as children in custody and parental authority cases. A new national strategy is set to be approved in the spring of 2027.

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Adapted from French with AI/gw

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