Swiss victims abroad miss out on state victim support

Swiss citizens who become victims of crimes abroad generally cannot receive help from Switzerland’s victim support system, SRF reports. They must seek assistance in the country where the crime took place.

The rules differ from those in place after the 1997 attack in Luxor, Egypt, when Islamist terrorists killed or injured dozens of Swiss people travelling in tour groups. Victims and their families received financial assistance, including from Swiss victim support services.

Peter Mösch Payot, a professor of social law at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, calls the current situation a gap. Many countries, including popular holiday destinations such as Egypt and Tunisia, do not offer comparable help, he said. Similar systems exist in some European countries, but victim support is not common internationally.

After the Luxor attack, Swiss authorities paid out large sums of public money. Some cantons feared that future attacks abroad could impose a heavy financial burden on them. The Victim Support Act was therefore further aligned with the principle that each state is responsible for people harmed by crimes on its territory.

Since 2009, foreign tourists and people without legal status who are victims of crime in Switzerland have been eligible for Swiss victim support. Swiss people targeted by criminals abroad are not. The gap can also affect, for example, a Ukrainian woman who flees to Switzerland after being raped by Russian soldiers during the war.

A parliamentary initiative now seeks to give victims of crimes abroad access at least to counselling and psychological support from Swiss victim services. Mösch Payot said the rules disadvantage Swiss residents who work or take holidays abroad.

Switzerland does provide some assistance to its citizens overseas. If someone is completely robbed, the country can advance money to help them return home, Mösch Payot said. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs also monitors security conditions and advises Swiss citizens on areas to avoid.

Travel advice includes dressing inconspicuously, avoiding displaying valuables and not travelling alone unnecessarily. The department also advises travellers to keep copies of passports, tickets and insurance documents in secure online storage, leave their itinerary and document copies with family in Switzerland, and check what their insurance covers.

Mösch Payot warned that people who ignore travel advice and are kidnapped or assaulted may face disadvantages when seeking consular protection or insurance benefits. Many travel insurance policies exclude cover for terrorism and war.