Human Trafficking in [Switzerland Street Children in [Switzerland] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Switzerland] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery In the
first ten years of the 21st Century -
2000 to 2009
Switzerland is primarily a
destination and, to a lesser extent, a transit country for women and children
trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor.
One NGO reported that roughly 50 percent of the trafficking victims counseled
in Switzerland came from Eastern Europe; 27 percent were from Latin America;
14 percent were from Asia; and the remaining nine percent came from Africa. There is reportedly forced labor in the domestic service
sector. Trafficking of ethnic Roma minors, who reportedly are brought from
other European countries to various Swiss cities to beg and commit petty
theft, is a rising concern of Swiss authorities. - U.S. State Dept Trafficking in
Persons Report, June, 2009 [full country
report] |
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CAUTION: The following links have been
culled from the web to illuminate the situation in ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** Forced
and arranged marriages a real problem in Switzerland Thousands of women trapped in
forced marriages in Switzerland are suffering severe mental and physical abuse,
say the authors of the first Swiss study into the practice. The charity Surgir
(Rise), which carried out the survey, is now calling on the government to
draw up a national strategy to aid victims.
Announcing the findings in Geneva on Wednesday, Jacqueline Thibault, the organisation's
president, described the scale of the problem as "enormous". She added that many victims were too afraid
to escape forced marriages for fear of reprisals, including so-called "honour killings". ***
ARCHIVES *** Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005 TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS –
Trafficking into the country is primarily performed by individuals and small
groups related through ethnic, clan, or family ties, as well as,
occasionally, organized criminals. Traffickers often forced victims into
prostitution and in many cases subjected them to physical and sexual
violence, threatened them or their families, encouraged drug addiction,
withheld their documents, and incarcerated them. Many victims were forced to
work in salons or clubs to pay for travel expenses and forged documents and
found themselves dependent on the traffickers. Generally the victims were
unable to read, write, or speak the country's languages and were afraid to
seek help from the authorities. Concluding
Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2002 [36] The Committee welcomes the
entry into force of article 268(c) of the Civil Code which will allow
adoptive children to know their biological parents and the ratification
process expected to be completed in 2003 of the Hague Convention of 29 May
1993 on Protection of Children an Co-operation in respect of Inter-country
Adoption. However, the Committee remains concerned that children adopted
abroad shall wait two years before being formally adopted which can lead to
discrimination and statelessness. In addition, the Committee is concerned
that, because of the inadequate follow-up, cases of ill treatment of children
by adoptive parents have been reported. [52] While welcoming the
amendments to the Penal Code prohibiting the possession of hard-core
pornography, including child pornography and the establishment of a new
centre against cyber-crime in 2003, the Committee remains concerned at the
lack of knowledge about the scope of sexual exploitation of children, in
particular vulnerable groups, in the State party. Human
trafficking allegations involve Swiss diplomatic missions in Pakistan Switzerland has announced it
is replacing all its embassy and consular staff in Pakistan after
accusations some employees were involved in a human trafficking racket. Switzerland shut the visa section
at its Islamabad embassy earlier this month, following a Pakistani
investigation into the illegal issuing of Swiss visas that has led to a
number of arrests. Swiss
Envoys in Pakistan Embroiled in Human Trafficking The issue came to the surface
after local media started highlighting the plight of Pakistani visa
applicants who complained of sexual harassment by Swiss embassy officials. Freedom
House Country Report - Political Rights: 1 Civil Liberties: 1 Status: Free Forced
and arranged marriages a real problem in Switzerland Thousands of women trapped in
forced marriages in Switzerland are suffering severe mental and physical
abuse, say the authors of the first Swiss study into the practice. The charity Surgir
(Rise), which carried out the survey, is now calling on the government to
draw up a national strategy to aid victims.
Announcing the findings in Geneva on Wednesday, Jacqueline Thibault, the organisation's
president, described the scale of the problem as "enormous". She added that many victims were too afraid
to escape forced marriages for fear of reprisals, including so-called "honour killings". Women’s
groups highlight cabaret club abuses Cabaret dancers in Switzerland
will still face violence and sexual exploitation, despite attempts to improve
their lot, according to women’s groups. About 1,200 women come to the
country a year, usually on short-term permits, to work in Switzerland’s 400
cabaret clubs. But at press conference
in Zurich on Tuesday, ProKoRe, an umbrella group
for organisations lobbying for improved rights for
sex workers, said that abuses including dishonesty over pay, violence and
sexual exploitation were still rife. All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial,
nonprofit, and educational use. PLEASE
RESPECT COPYRIGHTS OF COMPONENT ARTICLES.
Cite this webpage as: Patt, Prof. Martin,
"Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery - |
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Human Trafficking in [Switzerland Street Children in [Switzerland] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Switzerland] [other countries]