Human Trafficking in [Switzerland Street Children in [Switzerland] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Switzerland] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery Swiss Confederation (Switzerland) [ Country-by-Country
Reports ] The Swiss Confederation [map] is a federal republic located in central Europe and bordered
by France (W & SW), with the Jura Mts. and the Lake of Geneva (traversed
by the Rhône River) forming the frontier.
In the north it is separated from Switzerland is primarily a destination and, to a lesser
extent, a transit country for women trafficked from Hungary, Poland,
Bulgaria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Ukraine, Moldova, Brazil,
the Dominican Republic, Thailand, Cambodia, Nigeria, and Cameroon for the
purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. Swiss authorities noted an
increase in the number of women trafficked from Eastern Europe, specifically
Romania, for sexual exploitation. Limited cases of trafficking for the
purpose of domestic servitude and labor exploitation also were reported. - U.S. State Dept
Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2008
[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 Human Rights Overview by Human
Rights Watch – Defending Human Rights Worldwide 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 |
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Human Trafficking in [Switzerland Street Children in [Switzerland] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Switzerland] [other countries]