Council of Europe wants child abuse to be dealt with as in Switzerland
Published: Friday, Jan 26th 2024, 12:40
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The Council of Europe wants to investigate child abuse based on the Swiss model. The Parliamentary Assembly voted in favor of this on Friday. The recommendations are based on a motion by Jura SP National Councillor Pierre-Alain Fridez from 2021.
Accordingly, the suffering of survivors of child abuse is to be officially recognized in the member states, those affected are to receive a reparation payment - regardless of a possible statute of limitations - and a scientific reappraisal is to take place in each individual country.
The Council of Europe unanimously approved a report and a series of recommendations on Friday.
These include abuse in private, state and church homes, abuse in care institutions and forced adoptions. The investigations should be comprehensive and cover physical, sexual and psychological abuse. A report on the situation in Europe with recommendations was also approved in the Parliamentary Assembly on Friday.
The Council of Europe's recommendations correspond to the demands of the European Justice Initiative, which was launched by Solothurn entrepreneur Guido Fluri. The lead rapporteur on the matter was National Councillor Fridez, who is also a member of the Swiss delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
"Those who ignore the abuse cases of the past cannot effectively combat the abuse cases of today and tomorrow," Fridez told the Council of Europe. This argument convinced the majority of members of parliament, according to a statement from the Justice Initiative and the Guido Fluri Foundation.
12,000 cases in Switzerland
In Switzerland, the reparation initiative of the Guido Fluri Foundation led to a law that focused on the recognition of injustice, scientific investigation and solidarity payments. As a result, over 12,000 survivors of child abuse have received official recognition of the injustice and a solidarity payment, and the cases of abuse have been dealt with by the state.
Following this reparation, victims' groups and child protection organizations from all over Europe joined forces in the Justice Initiative and campaigned for a similar bill at Council of Europe level.
Founded in 1949, the Council of Europe comprises Switzerland and 45 other countries with over 670 million citizens. The Council of Europe is not institutionally linked to the European Union.
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