Experts warn as violence against children remains at record levels

Cases handled by child protection units at Swiss children’s hospitals remain high, with physical abuse increasing recently, SRF reported. Basel paediatrician Daniel Beutler said the development was alarming.

Beutler, who heads the child protection group at the University Children’s Hospital of the two Basels in Basel, said specialists see children who have been physically abused, teenagers who have suffered sexual abuse and young children who have witnessed domestic violence. His hospital is also treating more neglected children, he said.

Doctors pay particular attention to injuries that cannot be explained convincingly. Young children are especially vulnerable. More than 40 percent of affected children were under six in 2024, while almost one in five were under one year old.

Beutler said the high figures could not be explained conclusively. More suspected cases are being reported than in the past, but he also sees many parents under increasing pressure.

“Very often, these are situations in which parents reach their limits,” Beutler said. Financial strain and social isolation can play a role, he added, saying that many people had had a shorter fuse since the coronavirus pandemic.

Beutler hopes the inclusion of non-violent parenting in Switzerland’s Civil Code, which took effect on July 1, will help. “If you can say that in Switzerland it is forbidden to hit a child as part of parenting, that definitely helps,” he said.

Criticism of the lack of a national campaign

The federal government is not launching a separate national information campaign on the new law because of budget cuts. Instead, the issue will be incorporated into existing campaigns. The cantons are responsible for implementing accompanying measures, according to the federal government.

Regula Bernhard Hug, director of the child protection organisation Kinderschutz Schweiz, criticised the decision. She called the absence of a dedicated campaign dramatic. “If people are not informed about it, how is the law supposed to become part of family life?” she said.

Bernhard Hug also fears that the lack of a national campaign could lead to regional differences, meaning that a child’s and family’s canton of residence could make a difference.

Both Bernhard Hug and Beutler expect child protection cases to remain high or even increase without additional prevention work. They said families needed substantially more support and information to protect children more effectively.