Swiss Review 4/2018

Swiss Review / July 2018 / No.4 26 news.admin.ch Contract children, institutionalised children and those forcibly adopted – belated acknowledgement of suffering and injustice Victims of compulsory social measures will receive a solidarity payment, and over 9,000 people submitted an application for payment by the deadline. However, this does not mean that the process of coming to terms with the issue is over. The procedure for dealing with the compulsory social measures and care placements before 1981 is still in full swing. In summer 2013, victims and representatives of the authorities and institutions involved came together for the first time as part of a round ta- ble to engage in dialogue. The mem- bers of the round table appointed by Federal Councillor Simonetta Som- maruga were given the task of prepar- ing and initiating comprehensive ac- tion to come to terms with the compulsory social measures and care placements before 1981. In July 2014, they presented a report including pro- posed measures, most of which were incorporated into the new law aimed at addressing this dark chapter in Swiss social history. This law went through the parliamentary consulta- tion process in record time – not least due to pressure from the Reparations Initiative – and was adopted in au- tumn 2016. At the suggestion of the members of the round table, federal government also set up an emergency fund which provided around 1,200 victims in financially precarious situ- ations with interim support. The new law formally recognises the injustice that victims of the com- pulsory social measures and care placements suffered in Switzerland prior to 1981. It enables victims to ap- ply for the payment of a solidarity contribution of 25,000 Swiss francs. It also provides the legal basis for re- search to comprehensively examine the issue. An independent expert committee is looking at the destiny of people who were “under administra- tive care” and will unveil its findings in spring 2019. The Federal Council has also launched the National Re- search Programme 76 entitled “Wel- fare and compulsory measures – the past, present and future”. This focuses on the documentation of and research into all other forms of compulsory measures at the time, such as the sys- tem involving institutionalised and contract children. The individual re- search projects are set to be approved and launched by summer 2018. Signif- icant funding has been earmarked for the overall research activities. This Victims on the Bundesplatz at the launch of the initiative on 31 March 2014 Photo: Wiedergutmachungs­ initiative ✆ from Switzerland +41 800 24 7 365 ✆ from abroad +41 58 465 33 33 E-Mail: helpline@eda.admin.ch Skype: helpline-eda www.eda.admin.ch/reisehinweise ✆ from Switzerland +41 800 24 7 365 ✆ from abroad +41 58 465 33 33 www.twitter.com/travel_edadfae Online registration for Swiss citizens travelling abroad www.fdfa.admin.ch/itineris App available for free for iOS and Android Travel advice Plan well. Travel well.