Nearly four years after voters approved the initiative, parliament has agreed on the details of implementing the proposed measures to protect children from sexual abuse
Keystone
Parliament has approved some exemptions to a life ban on convicted paedophiles working with children, which was approved in a 2014 people’s initiative.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday followed the Senate in allowing exemptions in lighter cases. These include, for example, selling a pornographic magazine to a minor or teenagers sharing videos with child pornography.
A sticking point between the chambers was also whether sexual relations between minors should be specifically mentioned as a general exception. It was finally decided to not to do so, leaving more margin to judges.
However, no exceptions will be made in the case of perpetrators diagnosed as clinically paedophile or people convicted of serious crimes.
Parliament said these regulations were necessary to avoid inappropriate verdicts or disproportionate penalties.
In May 2014, 64% of Swiss voters approved a proposal, to be enshrined in the constitution, banning convicted paedophiles for life from working with children.
Opponents, including the government, had argued that the text of the initiative was too simplistic and overlapped with a legal amendment that came into force at the beginning of 2015.
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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.