In each school class there is on average one child that is poor, according to Caritas
Keystone
More than 100,000 children are affected by poverty in Switzerland and the number is on the rise, according to Swiss Catholic charity Caritas. It has called on politicians to implement supplementary family benefits across the country.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ts
Português
pt
ONG soa o alarme contra a pobreza infantil na Suíça
“Switzerland shows no willingness to act. The government is leaving the fight against poverty to the cantons, which leads to inequality of opportunity,” criticised CaritasExternal link on Monday.
Following elections in October, Caritas urged the new parliament to “take the lead and create the legal framework for a national fight against child poverty”.
There are some 1.7 million children in Switzerland, 103,000 of whom are affected by poverty, said Marianne Hochuli, head of the NGO’s research department.
“In other words, in each school class, there is on average one child that is poor. And if we count the children living just above the poverty line, there are three per class,” she said.
One third of the people on welfare are children and adolescents, according to Caritas.
“It is intolerable that children’s development should suffer as a result of their parents’ insufficient income or that these children should be punished because of the family situation in which they grow up,” said Hugo Fasel, director of Caritas Switzerland.
Working poor
The NGO underscored that effective measures exist to combat child poverty, highlighting evidence from four cantons. Geneva, Vaud, Solothurn and Ticino have introduced additional benefits for families, resulting in a significant decline in the number of families who claim welfare.
There are many reasons for child poverty in Switzerland, the charity explained. Raising a child costs around CHF7,000-CHF14,000 a year, which is particularly high for low-income parents, it said. About 70% of children affected by poverty in Switzerland grow up in working poor families.
Caritas also points out that Switzerland is below the European average in terms of public investment in children and families.
More
More
What it’s like to be a poor child in wealthy Switzerland
This content was published on
Living in Switzerland has its price. More than 300,000 children in the country are confronted with this every day. Niels is one of them.
As a Swiss Abroad, how do you feel about the emergence of more conservative family policies in some US states?
In recent years several US states have adopted more conservative policies on family issues, abortion and education. As a Swiss citizen living there, how do you view this development?
Swiss federal office sees no reason to end deportations of asylum-seekers to Croatia
This content was published on
Switzerland's State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) continues to deport asylum-seekers to Croatia. It thus rejects a demand from the Swiss Refugee Council in mid-February, which called for a halt to the returns.
ChatGPT responds to negative emotions and therapy, research shows
This content was published on
Stressful information can also cause anxiety in artificial intelligence (AI). As scientists in Zurich have shown, it's even possible to calm the GPT-4 AI model with mindfulness exercises.
Mortgage benchmark fall paves way for potential rent cuts in Switzerland
This content was published on
Switzerland’s national benchmark for mortgage costs dropped to the level it had before the global inflation surge, paving the way for potential rent reductions.
Switzerland ‘deeply concerned’ by Trump’s death penalty order
This content was published on
Switzerland has told the UN Human Rights Council that it is "deeply concerned" by US President Donald Trump's recent executive order to strengthen capital punishment at federal and state level.
Blatter, Platini return to court for new fraud trial over CHF2 million FIFA payment
This content was published on
Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and former UEFA President Michel Platini appeared in court in Switzerland on Monday accused of fraud - 2.5 years after they were cleared.
Israel criticises Swiss decision to host Middle East conference in Geneva on Friday
This content was published on
Israel has condemned Switzerland for planning to host a meeting on international humanitarian law in the Middle East next Friday in Geneva.
Centre Party’s Franziska Biner elected to Valais government
This content was published on
Voters in canton Valais in southern Switzerland elected Franziska Biner to the cantonal government in the first round of voting, beating off more established politicians.
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.