An official guardian visiting a foster family in Bern, 1946
Paul Senn
Chopping wood at the Oberbipp boys' home in canton Bern, 1940
Paul Senn
A Bernese family whose three eldest children have already been placed with foster families, 1946
Paul Senn
Working at the Sonnenberg boys’ home in Lucerne, 1944
Paul Senn
A “discarded child” during a visit by the "poverty inspector" in Bern, 1940
Paul Senn
A “discarded child” gets a dental check in canton Bern, 1940
Paul Senn
Standing in front of the director of the Oberbipp boys' home in canton Bern, 1940
Paul Senn
At the Sonnenberg boys’ home in Lucerne, 1944
Paul Senn
A foster child knitting in Bern, 1946
Paul Senn
Working in the fields at the Oberbipp boys' home in canton Bern, 1940
Paul Senn
At the Sonnenberg boys’ home in Lucerne, 1944
Paul Senn
Inspecting the shoes of a “discarded child” in Bern, 1940
Paul Senn
The exhibition Discarded Children features work by Swiss photographer Paul Senn (1901-1953). Senn’s revolutionary images of working class life around the world were published in many major newspapers.
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Recognising Switzerland’s “slave children”
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It is a chapter in Swiss history that has left painful scars. Now victims of these measures have been invited to a “ceremony of commemoration” in Bern on Thursday. “I was born without a father and my mother gave me to my grandmother to look after. When my grandmother died, they placed me with the…
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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.