Online child pornography in Switzerland on the increase
Online pornography is difficult to investigate and needs cooperation between police forces in Switzerland and in other countries.
Keystone
The non-governmental group against child abuse has expressed concern about a continuing increase of suspected cases of child pornography in Switzerland.
“It has taken on alarming dimensions. We are increasingly concerned about the growing number of suspicion reports from the United States,” Xenia Schlegel of the Swiss Foundation of the Protection of ChildrenExternal link is quoted by the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper.
Schegel urges parliament to introduce tougher laws against child pornography, child prostitution and human trafficking.
She says internet providers should be obliged to report suspected cases of child pornography to the federal police authorities, similar to a system in the US.
FBI assistance
Switzerland’s Federal Police Office (Fedpol) has confirmed that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) provided about 9,000 reports of alleged child pornography to the Swiss authorities last year.
The figure compares with about 480 suspected cases in 2014, according to the NZZ am Sonntag.
The suspects in Switzerland are believed to have downloaded banned content from US internet providers.
Fedpol handed over about 10% of the suspicion reports to the cantonal justice authorities following a preliminary examination, the Swiss news agency, Keystone SDA-ATS said.
The FBI is using filters which are not very accurate, according to a Fedpol spokeswoman.
In 2017 and 2016 it was about 150 cases submitted to prosecutors in the 26 Swiss cantons.
Despite the high number of suspected cases, the number of convictions of online pornography is modest, according to the newspaper report. Swiss courts handed down 580 verdicts in 2017.
More
More
Child abusers face life-long prosecution
This content was published on
Despite opposition from the political and legal establishment in Switzerland, the statute of limitations has been removed for sexual or pornographic acts committed against children under 12. Up to now victims had until the age of 25 to take legal action. The change has come about thanks to a people’s initiative launched by an organisation…
Beer sales in Switzerland watered down by bad weather
This content was published on
The past brewing year fell through in Switzerland, partly due to the bad weather. Beer sales shrank again. For the first time, per capita consumption fell below the 50 liter mark.
Compensation for Syrian after pregnant wife denied help on Swiss train
This content was published on
Switzerland’s Federal Court has partially upheld the appeal of a Syrian family being deported from Switzerland to Italy in 2014. The man now also receives compensation.
Swiss-EU negotiations: Cassis to meet Sefcovic in Bern
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will meet the Vice-President of the EU Commission, Maros Sefcovic, in Bern on Wednesday.
Heavy snowfall in Switzerland causes traffic chaos and accidents
This content was published on
The heavy snowfall late on Thursday and during the night into Friday led to traffic chaos and many accidents in many regions of Switzerland.
Chimpanzee behaviours passed down through generations
This content was published on
Some of the complex behaviours of chimpanzees have been passed down and refined over generations. These include the combination of several tools for foraging.
More than 600,000 rounds of Swiss sniper ammunition reach Ukraine
This content was published on
Sniper ammunition from Swiss P Defence reached Ukraine via a Polish company in July 2023, reported SRF Investigativ on Thursday, citing official information.
Switzerland launches national digital inclusion alliance
This content was published on
The Swiss government launched the Swiss Digital Inclusion Alliance on Thursday with the goal of giving as many people as possible access to digital services.
This content was published on
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…
This content was published on
There are currently 95 people on a teaching black list in Switzerland, most of them primary school teachers, banned for offences of a sexual nature.
This content was published on
Experts in the criminal and legal system urge clarification and milder penalties to deal with Swiss minors who break pornography laws.
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.