Child Protection in Switzerland
We are committed to ensuring that every child in Switzerland has a happy childhood. Stand with us to ensure that abused children receive the help they need. Thank you for your donation!
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Children under the age of six are especially at risk. They are often isolated and have no access to school, which makes them particularly vulnerable to violence. The lack of suitable care facilities for victims of violence in Switzerland exacerbates the situation and prevents many vulnerable children from getting the protection they need.
One child in 20 is physically punished at home on a regular basis. One in four children regularly suffers psychological violence. Abused children show a variety of symptoms, including eating or sleep disorders, delayed development, aggression or physical signs such as burns and broken bones. The abuse of minors covers all acts or omissions that cause disruptions in a child’s life or hinder his or her development. Growing up abused can have an impact on a child’s life, even in adulthood, affecting their health, work and emotional life.
Parents who find themselves in difficult situations linked to their socio-economic status, chronic illness or addiction find it harder to meet their children’s needs. When mothers or fathers feel overwhelmed and struggle to carry out their parental duties and this impacts their child’s development, outside support is vital.
Focus on early childhood
The first few years of life are crucial to a child’s development. In Switzerland, children who are still too young to attend school often find themselves outside the system designed to protect them and are particularly vulnerable to abuse. We place particular emphasis on this age group in order to bolster support for families, prevent risk situations and provide children who are victims of abuse with the protection and support they need.
Your donation’s impact
Thanks to your donation, the emergency shelters, foster homes and other child protection organisations we support can carry out the following work:
- Providing protection and suitable support to abused children in specialised institutions
- Bolstering parenting skills and abilities
- Strengthening the parent-child relationship
- Improving professionals’ ability to identify unstable family situations and intervene appropriately
More information
In 2024, Swiss Solidarity supported the following organizations through its child protection fund:
- Association Foyer Arabelle
- Association MAM (Maison d'Accueil Maternel)
- Association VIRES
- Associazione Consultorio delle Donne
- Associazione Ticinese Famiglie Affidatarie
- Fondation As'trame
- Fondation Neuchâteloise pour la coordination de l'action sociale FAS – SAVI
- Fondation St-Germain
- Frauenhaus beider Basel
- Frauenzentrale St. Gallen / Fachstelle Kind und Familie
- HEKS Inland Regionalstelle Ostschweiz
- jumpps*, Fachstelle für geschlechtersensible Pädagogik
- MädchenHaus
- Marie Meierhofer Institut für das Kind
- Pinocchio Beratungsstelle für Eltern und Kinder
- Solidarité femmes Biel/Bienne & Region
- Solidarité Femmes Fribourg - Centre LAVI
- Stiftung Liebfrauenhof Zug
- Verein Frauenhaus Winterthur
- Verein ZwüscheHalt