The government has approved a parliamentary proposal to raise the legal age of prostitution from 16 to 18 in Switzerland.
This content was published on
1 minute
This aligns Swiss law with the Council of Europe convention on protecting children under 18 from sexual exploitation and abuse.
The new legislation goes into effect on July 1, announced the government on Friday.
The initial motion, which was filed by a representative of the centre-right Christian Democratic Party, argued that allowing prostitution at 16 could result in young women – immigrants in particular – being exploited.
Prostitution is legal in Switzerland but sex workers have to register with city and health authorities as well as get regular health checks.
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.
Read more
More
Call for action over teenage prostitution
This content was published on
Christian Democrat Luc Barthassat has lodged a parliamentary initiative calling for the age of consent among prostitutes to be raised from 16 to 18, in line with Europe. In neighbouring Germany, Italy and France the legal age for prostitution is 18. The issue recently hit the French headlines after three national team players — Franck…
This content was published on
Jegher, coordinator of women’s rights issues at Amnesty International’s Swiss Section, has been involved in a campaign calling for victims to be allowed to stay in the country for a longer time. She was also one of the speakers at a conference on women trafficking, organised by several groups including Amnesty, which took place in…
This content was published on
The Swiss Child Protection Association has called for the age of consent in Switzerland to be raised from 16 to 18 in the case of prostitutes. It warned that because the legal age for prostitution in neighbouring Germany was 21 and in France and Italy 18, Switzerland risked becoming a “paradise for tourists seeking teenage…
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.