A demonstrator in Lausanne: 'Violence against one - violence against all!'
Keystone
More than 500 people have demonstrated across Switzerland after five young women were attacked in Geneva last week. The protests, organised by the Young Socialists Switzerland, took place on Sunday in Bern, Basel, Zurich and Lausanne.
On Wednesday, five women aged 22-33 were attacked in Geneva by a group of men outside a nightclub just after 5am. Two had to be taken to hospital with serious head injuries, one of whom is still in a coma. The following day, around 100 outraged citizens took to the streets of Geneva, followed by demonstrations in other Swiss cities.
“What happened in Geneva is just one piece of news that can be added to a long list of violent attacks against women,” said Géraldine Savary, a member of the Senate for the leftwing Social Democratic Party, in Lausanne.
“But we all know that this isn’t a one-off and that women are victims of sexism, misogyny and violence.”
In Bern and Zurich, the motto was “All for one”. In the Swiss capital, president of the Young Socialists Tamara Funiciello said violence against women was like a pyramid. “It begins with a sexist joke and harassment and ends with rape and honour killings,” she said.
More than 17,600 domestic offences were reported and registered by police in 2016 – a 13% increase over the two previous years. Nineteen people, mainly women, died as a result of domestic violence.
More
More
Domestic violence victims to receive better legal protection
This content was published on
Presenting the plans on Wednesday, Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga said the cabinet was seeking the use of electronic bracelets to monitor compliance with bans against approach or contact with a victim of domestic violence. However, the cabinet dropped proposals for live electronic monitoring following opposition from cantons for practical reasons. Instead the data can be…
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
Domestic violence is ‘fairly widespread’ in Switzerland
This content was published on
One in seven victims were minors, and children were present in half of all police interventions. A total of 9,195 people were charged by the police. Last year, 36 people were killed during domestic violence incidents, including eight children of pre-school age. Men were responsible for three out of four incidents (78%), the office said.…
Justice minister calls for better support of crime victims
This content was published on
In the context of increasing reports of domestic violence, Simonetta Sommaruga called for improvements to a law aimed at assisting crime victims.
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.