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At Zurich main station, a little girl was carrying a vulgar criticism of the measures on her back. Well placed by the father. Experts say that a child is being instrumentalized here.
SP politician and President of “Child Protection Switzerland” Yvonne Feri describes this as “child abuse”. It is too young to understand the size of the shield.
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Often the mask requirement is the trigger for conflicts in classes, says Dagmar Rösli, President of the umbrella association of teachers.
Dagmar Rösler / LCH / zVg.
At Zurich main station, a girl ran around with a “Put your Covid pass up your ass” sign.
SP politician and President of “Child Protection Switzerland” Yvonne Feri describes this as “abuse”. The girl is too young to understand the size of the shield.
It also leads to bullying at school. This is confirmed by Dagmar Rösler, President of the Teachers’ Association.
The fronts between supporters and opponents of the corona measures have hardened. If the fight was once between adults, children are increasingly being instrumentalized. This was recently shown at Zurich main station, when an approximately eight-year-old girl carried a sign on her back that read: “Put your Covid pass up your ass.” She was in the company of a man who was probably her father.
Also about the The Twitter community is shocked. One user said: “When did it become socially acceptable to stick hateful messages on the back of your own children?”
“The girl is being abused”
Yvonne Feri, SP National Councilor and President of “Child Protection Switzerland”, is also irritated. She is not aware of such terrifying cases to date. Nevertheless, she finds clear words: “The girl is being used here to make a statement.” Because of its age-related poor judgment, it hardly understands the meaning of the sign. In addition, it cannot yet form its own clear opinion.
Nevertheless, parents shouldn’t force an opinion on their child, as children also have a right to freedom of expression and self-determination, says Feri. Incidentally, the same applies to the Covid vaccination. “A child must not be vaccinated against their will.” Feri therefore advises parents to explain the pandemic situation to the child in an age-appropriate manner as far as possible.
Bullying in school
The SP National Councilor is also concerned about the girl’s exposure in public. “Many adults are likely to give the girl confused looks or speak to her.” This can confuse the child. Something similar can also be observed in schools. Unfortunately, there it often ends in bullying, says Feri.
Dagmar Rösler, central president of the umbrella association of teachers (LCH), is also familiar with such conflicts. If, for example, only one child in a class does not wear a mask, a conflict could arise among the students, says Rösler. “Then it is important that the teacher seeks dialogue with the child and the class.”
“Children want to belong”
However, such conflicts rarely occur, says Chantal Galladé, president of the Winterthur district school administration Stadt-Töss. “The children want to belong to the others and therefore take on the task of wearing masks, for example.” In the case of parents with extreme opinions, the children concerned would get into a loyalty conflict.
Yvonne Feri suggests talking to the child or parents in such a situation. Common sense and care are required here. “You could ask the girl with the sign, for example, if she understood what the sign was saying.” Aggressive or provocative comments are out of place, says Feri.
The child and adolescent psychologist Philipp Ramming agrees. He warns, however, that in the current climate such a child could also become a lightning rod for emotional people. Social exclusion of the child is also conceivable.
The girl would probably not understand such negative reactions from strangers, says Ramming. That contradicts the family climate in which he grew up and which also gives him a feeling of belonging through the poster. Conversely, it would also be a burden for the girl if she had to behave differently from her close environment.
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