Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Sex workers, construction crew or domestic help often remain invisible. Every year in Switzerland, many are exploited, forced into prostitution, work or begging.
Behind the figures published this Thursday are many tragic stories and broken destinies. Yet, wealthy Switzerland is still struggling to identify the victims and prosecute those responsible for this form of modern slavery.
Switzerland is still struggling to convict the perpetrators of human trafficking. On the occasion of World Day Against Human Trafficking, several aid organisations are warning that the phenomenon is not reducing in Switzerland.
Sexual and labour exploitation continue to claim many victims. In 2025, 532 people concerned, mainly women, were cared for by aid associations. The victims came from 79 countries, including a larger number from Colombia, Nigeria and Brazil.
Despite this reality, convictions remain rare. While 87 criminal proceedings were pending in 2025, Switzerland has only handed down an average of 10 final judgments per year for human trafficking since the introduction of this offence into the Criminal Code twenty years ago.
The Trafficking Platform, which brings together several Swiss NGOs, deplores the fact that many victims never get justice and that many perpetrators go unpunished. She also denounced a lack of awareness among criminal justice practitioners and considered that article 182 of the Criminal Code did not sufficiently define the constituent elements of trafficking. They therefore welcome the government’s willingness to revise this provision.
The Aargau authorities have made an about-face in the case of two women who were victims of abuse by a former politician. They now agree that the women should have received more financial support from the municipality and that they should not be deported.
Without a means of subsistence after the arrest of the former Aargau cantonal parliament member who allegedly drugged and abused them, Iwona and Paula would have been entitled to social welfare and not just minimal emergency assistance. This is the decision taken by the Cantonal Department of Health and Social Affairs, a few days after the media coverage of the case, reports the daily Bund. The two women will thus receive retroactive payments to which they are entitled.
The Cantonal Office for Migration has also changed its mind about the right of residence of two victims. While the initial decision was to deport them, the authorities are now willing to grant the victims a residence permit, citing “a case of serious personal hardship”. However, the issue has not yet been settled: the Administrative Court of Aargau must make a decision, and then the case will be evaluated by the State Secretariat for Migration.
Has the publication of the story of the suffering endured by the two women changed the situation? The Cantonal Office for Migration denies this. He assures that his approach “is based on the legal and factual foundations of the case. Media pressure has not been and is not a determining factor.” The fact remains that the decision came two hours after the publication of the articles.
An increasing number of French-speaking Swiss are ready to pack their bags for France, in order to escape the high cost of housing, according to a survey published on Thursday by the price comparison website Comparis.
More than 92,000 people are actively looking for accommodation in neighbouring France, according to Comparis. There were about 50,000 of them in the previous survey conducted just over a year ago. The main driver of this interest remains the significantly lower cost of housing on the other side of the border.
However, the relocation project faces several obstacles. The respondents cite above all the distance from family and friends. Travel times are also a major obstacle: four out of ten people say they are not ready to extend their journey to work. The growing attractiveness of neighbouring France comes at a time when the Swiss housing market is showing some signs of cooling down. According to a study by Wüest Partner published on Thursday, the decline in the number of vacant homes observed over the past five years is likely to come to a halt in 2026. However, house prices continue to rise: they rose by 0.7% in the second quarter, according to figures also published on Thursday by the Federal Statistical Office.
Following your partner abroad for their career often involves putting your own professional life on hold and can also lead to a loss of bearings.
In the new episode of the Swissinfo podcast “Adieu, merci la Suisse/Ade merci, Schweiz”, an expert and a Swiss Abroad share their tips on how to navigate the situation.
The absence of professional activity abroad can cause an identity crisis in the accompanying partner. Deprived of one’s network and social status, one must learn to reinvent oneself outside the traditional professional framework. For intercultural coach Heike Geiling, the break is brutal because, where “one finds a manager, an office, colleagues, projects, the other inherits a new address”.
The economic dependence generally generated by the situation represents a risk to the couple’s equilibrium. It is therefore crucial to negotiate financial support and to pay for retirement provisions before you leave. Geiling advises developing a personal project (volunteering, entrepreneurial or training) to preserve one’s autonomy. Despite the challenges, this transition can also offer new freedom. “I have given up a certain independence, especially financial, but for me it has always been a dream to live abroad,” says Stéphanie Sciboz, who has accompanied her diplomat husband on his missions for several years.
Integrating into a new country is a process that requires patience. According to Geiling, it takes around 100 days to adapt to a new place. Sciboz advises that you have to be ready to be alone, especially in the early stages. According to the Swiss Abroad, however, these moments also allow you to recharge your batteries in the tumult of the upheaval experienced.
Translated from French, sub-edited by Anand Chandrasekhar
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