Canton of Zurich offers 24/7 counseling for victims of violence
Published: Thursday, Oct 24th 2024, 10:10
Back to Live Feed
From November 2025, the canton of Zurich will be offering 24-hour telephone counseling for victims of violence throughout Switzerland. The service is operated by the Zurich Victim Counseling Service.
The telephone advice center will provide initial information to victims of violence around the clock, 365 days a year, as the Zurich cantonal government announced on Thursday. They should then be quickly referred to the appropriate victim counseling center or institution. In emergencies, the victim counseling service responds with crisis intervention.
Thanks to its many years of experience, Victim Counseling Zurich is ideally placed to operate a 24/7 counseling center, the press release continues.
In Switzerland, there is currently no nationwide, free and round-the-clock telephone number where victims of violence can obtain initial advice. However, the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence obliges the signatory states to set up such a number.
Victim Counseling Zurich will set up a separate department for the new service. The counseling center will be accessible via a three-digit telephone number. In order for the number to be introduced, the Federal Council must first approve a corresponding amendment to the ordinance. This should take place by mid-2025 at the latest. It will then also be known what the new number will be.
©Keystone/SDA
English 
German 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic