Human Trafficking in  [Switzerland]  [other countries]
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 Germany by the Rhine River and Lake Constance.  Its eastern neighbors are Austria and Liechtenstein, and in the southeast and south it is divided from Italy by the Alpine crests, the Lake of Lugano, and Lago Maggiore.  The federal capital is Bern, and the largest city is Zürich.

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]

 

 

CAUTION:  The following links have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Switzerland.  Some of these links may lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even false.  No attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content.

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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".

 

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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.

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Human Trafficking in  [Switzerland]  [other countries]
Street Children in  [Switzerland]  [other countries]
Child Prostitution in  [Switzerland]  [other countries]