CRC/C/CHE/CO/5-6

Switzerland (CRC 22 October 2021)

The Committee considered the combined fifth and sixth periodic reports of
Switzerland1 at its 2553rd and 2554th meetings,2 held on 20 September 2021, and adopted
the present concluding observations at its 2562nd meeting, held on 24 September 2021.

A. General measures of implementation (arts. 4, 42 and 44 (6))

Cooperation with civil society

15. While welcoming the efforts of the State party to support and collaborate with civil society, the Committee recommends that the State party:

(a) Engage children’s organizations, including organizations of children with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children, in the formulation, implementation and monitoring of public policies and programmes concerning their rights;

(b) Ensure access by civil society organizations working with and for children to public financing at the national, cantonal and municipal levels.

18. Taking note of target 10.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Committee recommends that the State party:

(a) Ensure that all forms of discrimination, including on the basis of sex, disability and socioeconomic, residence or other status, are prohibited by law;

(b) Ensure the full implementation of relevant laws prohibiting discrimination, including by raising public awareness of the legal prohibition of discrimination, adequately sanctioning perpetrators, and removing procedural barriers that prevent child victims of discrimination from accessing justice and receiving remedies;

(c) Evaluate, with the participation of children and civil society, existing measures aimed at combating discrimination against children in disadvantaged situations, in order to assess their impact and revise measures accordingly;

(d) Develop policies and awareness-raising measures aimed at addressing the root causes of de facto discrimination, with a view to eliminating discrimination against children in disadvantaged situations, including refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant children, children with disabilities, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children and socioeconomically disadvantaged children.

D. Violence against children (arts. 19, 24 (3), 28 (2), 34, 37 (a) and 39)

Harmful practices

29. The Committee welcomes the measures taken to combat female genital mutilation and to implement the federal programme to combat forced marriage, and recommends that the State party:

(a) Strengthen measures aimed at preventing female genital mutilation, including through the allocation of sufficient resources for the protection of and support for victims, awareness-raising campaigns, implementation of the recommendations of the postulate report of November 2020 and training of relevant professional groups;

(b) Prohibit the performance of unnecessary medical or surgical treatment on intersex children where those procedures may be safely deferred until children are able to provide their informed consent;

(c) Provide social, medical and psychological services, as well as adequate counselling, support and reparations, to families with intersex children;

(d) Develop awareness-raising campaigns targeted at religious communities that conduct child marriages on the harmful effects of child marriage on the physical and mental health and well-being of girls.

H. Education, leisure and cultural activities (arts. 28–31)

Cooperation with civil society

15. While welcoming the efforts of the State party to support and collaborate with civil society, the Committee recommends that the State party:

(a) Engage children’s organizations, including organizations of children with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children, in the formulation, implementation and monitoring of public policies and programmes concerning their rights;

(b) Ensure access by civil society organizations working with and for children to public financing at the national, cantonal and municipal levels.