Summary
Switzerland is launching an expanded national campaign against domestic, sexualized, and gender-based violence on June 1, 2026. The initiative launched by Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider in November 2025 is being supplemented by two new campaign visuals – one addressing affected children, one addressing digital surveillance. Central to the campaign is the free victim support hotline 142, available 24/7 since May 1, 2026. The campaign is funded by a parliamentary budget increase and supported by the federal government, cantons, cities, and civil society. Flyers in 13 languages plus easy-to-read language are intended to ensure maximum reach.
Persons
- Elisabeth Baume-Schneider (Federal Councillor, Campaign Initiator)
Topics
- Violence Prevention
- Domestic Violence
- Victim Support
- Gender Equality
- Public Health
Clarus Lead
The campaign expansion signals growing political commitment to combating violence in Switzerland and addresses two previously underrepresented dimensions: children affected by domestic violence and digital control mechanisms. The parliamentary budget increase underscores that violence prevention is no longer being treated as a niche issue but as a core theme of security and equality policy. With nationwide multilingual rollout, a systematic attempt is being made for the first time to reduce language and cultural barriers to accessing support services – an indicator of increased implementation ambition.
Detailed Summary
Police registered a total of 22,000 criminal offenses in the area of domestic violence in 2025, accounting for 44 percent of all violent crimes in Switzerland. In the same year, 34 homicides in the context of domestic violence were documented – more than half (61.8%) of all registered homicides in Switzerland (55 total). Of these 34 victims, 21 were killed in the context of an existing or former intimate relationship; of these, 19 were women and 2 were men.
The new campaign phase supplements the previous six visuals with two specialized graphics: one focuses on children affected by domestic violence, and one addresses digital surveillance as a form of violence. Materials will be distributed in 13 languages (German, French, Italian, Romansh, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Albanian, Turkish, Russian, Ukrainian, Arabic, and Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian/Montenegrin) as well as in easy-to-read language. The victim support hotline 142 offers free, anonymous counseling 24/7 and was established by the cantons as a unified point of contact.
The campaign is part of the federal Equality Strategy 2030 and contributes to the implementation of the Istanbul Convention. A representative survey on violence and equality conducted in autumn 2025 serves to scientifically evaluate campaign effectiveness over an extended period.
Key Messages
- Domestic violence accounts for 44% of all violent crimes in Switzerland; 61.8% of all homicides are linked to relationship violence contexts.
- Two new campaign visuals address previously underrepresented forms of violence: impact on children and digital surveillance.
- Multilingual rollout (13 languages + easy-to-read language) aims to reduce access barriers for vulnerable groups.
- Parliamentary budget increase signals structural prioritization of violence prevention in federal policy.
Critical Questions
Evidence Quality: Is the selection of the two new visuals (children, digital surveillance) based on empirical data on prevalence and detection gaps, or on political prioritization? Are year-on-year comparison figures available to validate trend statements?
Measurability: What concrete success indicators were defined for the expanded campaign (e.g., call volume to 142, change in willingness to report, awareness metrics)? How will the impact of the new visuals be measured in isolation?
Reach and Adequacy: Do the 13 selected languages cover the actual linguistic heterogeneity of violence-affected persons in Switzerland? Is there data on the use of support services by language group that justifies the language selection?
Implementation Gaps: How is it ensured that "broad-based" flyer distribution actually reaches vulnerable groups (e.g., isolated persons, migrant women without networks) and does not merely end up in public spaces?
Causality and Alternatives: Is the budget increase used exclusively for campaign reach, or also for capacity expansion in victim support and counseling? Is a campaign alone sufficient, or does it require parallel structural measures?
Long-Term Sustainability: The evaluation study measures awareness and call volume – but how is the quality and continuity of the counseling services themselves monitored, particularly in smaller cantons?
Sources
Primary Source: Federal Office for Gender Equality (FOGE) – Press Release of 01.06.2026: Prevention Campaign Against Domestic, Sexualized, and Gender-Based Violence https://www.news.admin.ch/de/newnsb/q_Gt7mGzGmbfGhT94QEbZ
Supplementary Resources:
- Equality Strategy 2030: https://www.gleichstellung2030.ch/de/
- Evaluation Dashboard: https://cockpit.gfsbern.ch/de/cockpit/evaluation-ebg/
Verification Status: ✓ 01.06.2026
This text was created with the support of an AI model. Editorial Responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-Check: 01.06.2026