Femicides: Confederation, cantons and communes announce urgent measures
Berne, 26.06.2025 — In the first half of 2025, 18 women and girls were killed in Switzerland. Faced with this alarming situation, the committee responsible for the implementation of the Istanbul Convention on combating violence against women (Confederation, cantons and communes), coordinated by the Federal Office for Gender Equality (FOGE), calls for a strong and joint political action. It decided to introduce three emergency measures.
The first six months of 2025 have been dramatic in terms of domestic violence in Switzerland. Since January, 18 women and girls have been killed by their (ex-)husband or partner, father or another man. These femicides, like those perpetrated in previous years, represent the peak of violence against women. The situation calls for robust, coordinated political action at all levels of government, in collaboration with civil society.
Specific measures defined
The Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA), in close dialogue with the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP), as well as cantonal and communal authorities believe that efforts must be stepped up to guarantee the safety of all women in Switzerland. At the initiative of Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, the committee responsible for coordinating the implementation of the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence held an extraordinary meeting yesterday.
In order to quickly and effectively improve the institutional response to victims and perpetrators of violence as soon as warning signs appear, the committee has decided on three joint measures that must be implemented without delay:
- Develop regional solutions to increase the number of places available in emergency accommodations and shelters.
- Strengthen violence prevention during separation phases by training professionals and implementing standardised approaches.
- Introduce systematic inter-institutional monitoring of cases of femicide.
Progress on these measures will be discussed at the committee's next ordinary meeting this autumn.
Combating violence against women and domestic violence in Switzerland
These measures fit into the policy to combat gender-based violence pursued for several years. In 2018, Switzerland ratified the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention). Since then, a National Action Plan (NAP IC) with 44 measures has been adopted was adopted by the Federal Council, with three thematic priorities: awareness raising, training and combating sexualised violence. Next November, the FDHA will thus launch a major national awareness campaign on all forms of gender-based violence.
In parallel, the roadmap on domestic violence was adopted in 2021. Supported by the Confederation and the cantons and coordinated by the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP), this initiative specifically targets domestic and sexual violence and covers areas such as threat management, electronic monitoring and victim support. In this specific field, forensic medical assistance for victims of domestic and sexual violence is to be expanded quickly. The FDJP will therefore submit the message for a corresponding revision of the Victim Support Act (VSA) to the Federal Council earlier than originally planned, probably in autumn 2025.
More information
Implementation of the Istanbul Convention in Switzerland
Roadmap by the Confederation and the cantons on domestic violence (available in German and French)
Stop Femizid – Research project on femicides in Switzerland (available in German, French and Italian)