These are worrying figures published by the University of Friborg on the punitive behavior of parents. Indeed, according to its survey, carried out at the request of the Swiss Child Protection association, 20% of children regularly experience psychological violence within their family.
If some 300,000 children are punished by spanking, some 25% are threatened with beatings by their parents. And 30% experience verbal violence. Thus, 18% of parents threaten – sometimes or regularly – to leave their child alone, 13% humiliate them, 12% lock them in their room for prolonged periods; finally, nearly 17% told him outright that they no longer loved him and 12% threatened to place him in an institution.
Note that French-speaking parents use this type of behavior more often against their children. They are also more likely to report threats such as withdrawal of love, insults or others than in German-speaking Switzerland or Ticino, according to the study.
Psychological violence is less visible than physical violence. “However, it too can have, especially when it occurs regularly, serious long-term consequences on the child’s life,” underlines the association. Clearly, the child risks suffering greatly from depression and learning disorders; he also risks having aggressive and violent behavior and presenting emotional problems.
“Children who experience these situations are exposed to considerable psychological pressure and feel fear, torpor and helplessness,” underlines the association. Because their parents’ reaction is for them a personal attack that they are unable to relate to the situation they are experiencing. “They feel rejected, worthless and helpless.”
Child protection Switzerland is therefore launching a prevention campaign against psychological violence this Monday. In particular, it offers material and training close to practice in order to help parents, often under pressure and overwhelmed, to apply non-violent educational methods.
A project soon submitted to Parliament
For Child Protection Switzerland, these forms of violence must urgently be taken into account at the societal and political levels. It should be noted that Parliament will take up a project from the Federal Council in the spring of 2025 to anchor non-violent education in law. In this text, Berne clearly recognizes that violence in education is not tolerated, “whether it takes the form of corporal punishment or other degrading treatment for the child”.
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