Almost half of children in Switzerland experience domestic violence
Child Protection Switzerland not only wants to anchor the right to a non-violent upbringing in the Civil Code (staged photo)
Keystone / Steffen Schmidt
Almost 50% of all children in Switzerland experience physical or psychological violence at home, according to an annual survey conducted by the University of Fribourg on behalf of Child Protection Switzerland.
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En Suiza, casi la mitad de los niños sufren violencia doméstica
Smacking on the bottom was the most common use of violence, with around 14% of 1,013 parents admitting they smacked their children. About 11% of parents had pushed their child as a punishment, and about 5% of parents had shaken their child, Child Protection Switzerland said in a statementExternal link on Monday.
Shaking a child as a punishment is very concerning for child and youth psychiatrist Oliver Bilke-Hensch. “This can significantly damage a toddler’s brain and an infant’s body,” he told Swiss public television, SRFExternal link. “We don’t want to offset that against slapping a 16-year-old in the face, but the damage is certainly great.”
Psychological punishment is being used increasingly often, the survey shows. Almost 30% of the parents surveyed said they had hurt their children with words or yelled insults at them. Around 12% of parents had humiliated or ridiculed their child.
Child Protection Switzerland not only wants to anchor the right to a non-violent upbringing in the Civil Code, but is also fighting against a violent childhood with awareness campaigns and prevention measures.
The annual parent survey shows awareness is increasing. Five years ago 46% of parents who used corporal punishment had a guilty conscience; today the figure is 77%.
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