A study by the University of Freiburg shows that Swiss parents consider violence in upbringing to be problematic, but nevertheless use it. There is no corresponding legal prohibition.
Violence by parents is still part of everyday life for many children in Switzerland.
A slap on the bottom, ears stretched out or even a slap in the face: for many children in Switzerland, violence at home is still part of everyday life. At least that’s what a survey by the University of Freiburg among their parents revealed. Of 1013 respondents, almost half said they used parenting methods that fall under physical or psychological violence.
In the study, which was carried out on behalf of the organization Kinderschutz Schweiz, almost 40 percent stated that they had already used corporal punishment against their child. Almost every sixth parent regularly engages in psychological violence, such as severe verbal abuse or the withdrawal of love.
Psychological violence is more likely to be considered legitimate
The study authors also asked the parents about their legal understanding of a total of twelve punishment methods. This shows that psychological violence tends to be viewed as more in line with the law: a third of those surveyed consider it legitimate to ignore the child for a long period of time, and almost 40 percent say it is “yelling or yelling at”.
Physical punishment is different. 95 percent of mothers and 89 percent of fathers consider parenting measures that involve violence to be forbidden. When it comes to severe corporal punishment such as a “spanking”, “hitting with an object” or a “resounding slap in the face”, mothers and fathers agree that these are not permitted.
The legislation does not prohibit violence
The situation is not so clear: Swiss legislation does not prohibit corporal punishment if it does not lead to visible damage. On the contrary, according to Child Protection Switzerland, various federal court rulings even confirm that corporal punishment is permitted in this country. In 2003, based on part of the legal doctrine, the Federal Supreme Court still saw scope for “light punishment of a physical nature”, a practice that has not been corrected since then.
Child protection Switzerland is therefore calling for a law that enshrines children’s right to a non-violent upbringing. Several attempts to do so have failed in Parliament in recent years, although the foundation believes that Switzerland is obliged to do so under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The authors write in their press release that the convention must be implemented in the country “with combined forces”. Finally, the use of violence in parenting can have devastating effects, ranging from physical impairments to psychological or emotional damage.
The parents seem to be well aware of this: according to the survey, half of all legal guardians use violence. However, eight out of ten respondents at least stated that they had a guilty conscience. That is twice as many as in 2017.