Every child has the right to protection from all forms of violence, regardless of the circumstances. This is laid down in Article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) . Other articles in the CRC refer specifically to the protection of children, however. All these rights to protection aim to protect children from physical or mental violence, sexual assault, neglect, structural violence, child trafficking and economic exploitation. They apply to all children, including especially vulnerable groups such as child refugees and those separated from their families.

Signatory states of the CRC, which include Switzerland and Liechtenstein, are committed to implementing these protective rights and ensuring that the legal foundations and supportive framework conditions are created for the physical and mental integrity of children.

Violence can affect all children and young people. However, those most at risk are young people living with disabilities or chronic illnesses (like HIV and AIDS), suffering from extreme poverty or living in institutions, or children who have run away and are living apart from their families. Sexual orientation, gender identity or affiliation with a socially or ethnically disadvantaged group also increases the likelihood that a child or young person will experience violence.

Globally,

• some 1 in 20 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 – around 13 million globally – have experienced forced sex in their lifetimes.
• about 10% of the world's children are not legally protected from corporal punishment.
• more than 1 in 3 students aged 13–15 experience bullying.
• 1 in 4 children (176 million) under the age of 5 live with a mother who has been a recent victim of intimate partner violence.
• roughly 3 in 4 children between the ages of 2 and 4 – around 300 million – are regularly subjected to violent discipline by their caregivers.

You’ll find more on the global situation of children and young people in connection with child protection, and UNICEF’s response, here.

No matter what form of violence a young person is exposed to, the experience can lead to serious, lifelong consequences. Violence can result in physical injuries, sexually transmitted diseases, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, unwanted pregnancy and even death. There is also evidence that stress from violence in early childhood can permanently impair brain development and damage other parts of the nervous system.

Long-term effects on the behavior of children and young people include aggression and a heightened propensity for violence, drug abuse, risky sexual behavior and crime.

Violence has enormous impacts on human health and development. Nevertheless, this problem often remains “hidden in plain sight,” as the majority of those affected rarely seek help due to feelings of fear or shame, and the subject remains “off-limits.”

As part of the country reporting process on the implementation of children’s rights in Switzerland in 2021, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recommends the following with regard to the protection of children:

• The collection and analysis of data on violence against children, including in the digital environment.
• Priority given to the best interests of the child in legal proceedings and decisions.
• The definition of procedures and criteria to guide the responsible persons in determining the best interests of the child in all matters. 
• The guarantee of a child’s right to be heard in all decisions which concern them (e.g. in criminal or asylum proceedings).
• Guaranteed access to confidential, child-appropriate complaint mechanisms for refugee children.
• The provision of adequate resources for public awareness campaigns to promote positive, non-violent and participatory forms of child rearing. 
• The development of a national strategy and a national plan of action for preventing, combating and monitoring all forms of violence and abuse, including sexual violence, bullying and digital violence.
• The strengthening of measures for the prevention of female genital mutilation.

As part of its country reporting proceedings, UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein conducted the survey “Children’s Rights from the Perspective of Children and Young People.” The survey asked young people between the ages of 9 and 17, for the first time, about the implementation of child rights in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. 

The study revealed the following with regard to experiences of violence:

• Almost a third of the children surveyed said that they have experienced physical violence by their parents.
• Around a quarter of the children surveyed said that they have been laughed at, imitated, berated, or insulted by their parents.
• The older the child, the higher the likelihood of having experienced physical or psychological abuse by a parent.
• Children who are partly or extremely affected by poverty are more frequently subject to physical and psychological abuse than children who are not affected by poverty.
• Almost half of all the children surveyed had been laughed at, insulted, berated, or imitated by other children.
• Almost one in three children experienced physical violence at the hands of other children. 
• 23 percent say that they have experienced ostracism or bullying by their classmates.
• Almost one in three children want more online safety, especially with regard to cybersecurity.

The child rights study shows the various forms of violence that children and young people experience, and that nearly every child and young person in Switzerland and Liechtenstein experiences physical and psychological violence as part of everyday life.

Every year, the Swiss professional organization Pädiatrie Schweiz publishes statistics (in German) on cases of alleged or confirmed child abuse that involved outpatient or inpatient treatment at a Swiss children’s hospital. 

In 2023, a total of 2097 cases of actual or suspected maltreatment of children and adolescents were reported. Mental abuse (31.8%), neglect (28%) and physical abuse (26.3%) were diagnosed most frequently. The gender distribution of children and adolescents affected by maltreatment was very balanced in 2023. In addition, it was again apparent that a large proportion of the children affected were very young (45% under the age of 6).

Younger children, being more vulnerable, are particularly in need of protection. However, external controls to protect these children effectively are often lacking, which makes it all the more important to have professionals and caregivers monitoring children in this age group. It is essential, therefore, to continue to raise awareness of this issue.

This study (in German) showed that physical and psychological violence is still part of everyday life for many families. On average, each school class will have one child who is subjected regularly to corporal punishment, and one in four children experience frequent psychological violence by their parents. 

These are mostly young parents with relatively young children as well as parents who experienced violence themselves and may be under particular pressure in their daily lives.