Swiss service offers help to adults facing online abuse

A new Swiss counselling service offers free, anonymous initial advice to adults affected by online abuse, SRF reports. The service, hatehelp, helps people assess their situation and consider possible next steps.

Digital abuse includes insults, threats, harassment and public humiliation online. Examples include hateful comments and sharing intimate images or videos without consent.

Who is affected

Switzerland has no overall figures on digital abuse among adults. In the 2025 Cybersorgenmonitor survey, 14 percent of respondents said they had experienced online harassment, including bullying, hateful comments, stalking or the publication of intimate images. The survey covered harassment on online platforms only.

A representative study published in Germany in February found that, over the previous five years, one in five women and one in seven men had experienced digital abuse. The article says figures in Switzerland may be similar.

People in the public eye, including politicians, scientists and athletes, are often targeted. Young people are also frequently affected: nearly a quarter of 18 to 29 year olds said they had experienced online harassment, compared with fewer than one in 10 people over 50. Men and women experience digital abuse at roughly similar rates, but women are more likely to find it highly distressing. Religious and sexual minorities are also targeted more often than average.

What the law says

Swiss criminal law also applies online. Insults, defamation, slander, threats and coercion are offences. Public incitement against people because of their ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation can violate the country’s anti-racism law.

Impersonating someone online to harm them is also a criminal offence. Since July 2024, it has been illegal to share or publish sexual images or videos without the depicted person’s consent. Stalking has had its own criminal provision since early 2026.

The Federal Council plans to present a law in June 2027 that would require large platforms to provide a simple process for reporting abuse.

What victims can do

People affected should preserve evidence before reporting or deleting content, or blocking the person responsible. Screenshots should show the date and time, the name of the person who posted the material and its web address.

After saving evidence, victims can report content to the platform and block the sender. They may also ask trusted people to monitor messages or save evidence, so they do not have to keep viewing distressing material themselves.

For intimate images or videos shared without consent, or threats to share them, the free Stop NCII service can create a digital fingerprint of the material. Participating platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, can use that fingerprint to remove matching content or prevent it from being posted. The service is for adults.

People targeted online do not have to respond. In cases involving threats or stalking, replying may make the situation worse. Anyone who suspects their phone or account is being monitored should seek support before changing passwords or deleting apps.