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Relatives of a woman who was killed in the Jura have set up an alarm system. The federal government and cantons are also examining emergency systems.
October 21, 2019 left deep scars on Géraldine Marquis. Her sister was stabbed to death in Courfaivre on this October day – by her ex-partner. A week after she filed a lawsuit against him for threatening her.
They were not believed, says Géraldine Marquis. “Because we weren’t heard, I said to myself: We have to do something, also for all other women. From the day after the murder, we started working to ensure that there would not be another case like Mélanie’s.”
Offers of help are needed
From this is the The “Mel” association was formed – named after the fatality. With the aim of better protecting women. The association offers women self-defence courses, but also alarm systems in the house. These trigger a loud alarm as soon as someone gains access to the house. The alarm also goes to a private security company, which notifies the police and goes there themselves.
Legend:
Homicides against women continue to shake Switzerland. The attempted killing of a woman from La Chaux-de-Fonds recently caused a stir in western Switzerland. And the murder of a woman in Courfaivre in the canton of Jura more than two years ago.
key stone
These offers are financed by donations – and they are used. Calls from women came in immediately after the association was founded, says Géraldine Marquis: “One month later I had many calls from women who didn’t feel safe enough. After four and a half months, we have already installed such alarm systems in three women who have filed lawsuits against their ex-partners. »
Better monitoring of potential offenders
Two of these alarm systems were set up in the canton of Jura and one in the Bernese Jura. Géraldine Marquis and her team are aware that they cannot replace the state. They also informed the police about the setting up of the alarm systems. Switzerland also wants to avoid femicides with better surveillance.
Spain is the model. There, the victim and the perpetrator each wear a GPS transmitter – if the distance is not maintained, a warning signal sounds. And women who are threatened can receive an emergency button on request, which can be used to alert the police directly.
The use of emergency buttons is not a panacea. If a perpetrator has the firm intention of harming a victim, it will not be possible to completely prevent this even with this measure.
For the federal government and the cantons, Claudio Stricker from the Conference of Cantonal Justice and Police Directors KKJPD is coordinating the search for a system like that in Spain: “Basically, we envisage a relatively similar implementation. There are various ways in which such an emergency button can be used. On the one hand independent of a device at the perpetrator. On the other hand, in connection with an ankle bracelet that is attached to the perpetrator.”
Confederation and cantons under pressure
As a first step, there should be pilot projects in individual cantons – before the end of this year. Electronic surveillance of threatened women, or in rare cases men, is important.
But you shouldn’t raise false expectations either, says Claudio Stricker from the KKJPD: “The use of emergency buttons is not a panacea. If a perpetrator has the firm intention of harming a victim, it will not be possible to completely prevent this even with this measure. »
Meanwhile, women in the Jura try to protect themselves through Géraldine Marquis’ private association. This shows that the federal government and the cantons are under pressure to quickly introduce these means of technical monitoring.