Children’s rights network calls for national strategy to tackle child poverty

Some 114,000 children in Switzerland are affected by poverty and a further 315,000 are at risk, SRF reports. The Children’s Rights Network Switzerland is calling for a national strategy, saying children in single-parent households and large families face particular risks.

The network says child poverty affects more than living standards: it can also limit children’s educational, developmental and health opportunities, as well as their social participation. It wants binding targets and systematic reviews of progress, a dedicated child-focused measure in the national poverty monitoring system, and minimum standards for family benefits across Switzerland.

What support a family receives currently depends on its canton of residence and its residence status, the network says. It argues that a national strategy is needed to replace the patchwork of cantonal benefits.

Five years after recommendations from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, other children’s rights issues also remain unresolved, according to the network. It says child-rights impact assessments are only mentioned in guidance for government policy proposals, while data gaps persist, including on children placed outside their families and the reasons for child protection measures.

The network says the gap is especially clear in the lack of an ombudsman’s office for children’s rights. Parliament gave a clear mandate for one in 2020, and a substantial majority supported an independent office during consultation. The network says the Federal Council is sticking with a weakened proposal that leaves out individual advice for children and mediation when needed.

Federal Statistical Office figures show that in 2024, almost five per cent of children under 16 faced financial disadvantage in three or more key areas of life.