Preamble

Since 2009, the Child Protection Working Group ( GPE ) of the Swiss Paediatric Society ( SPS ) has published annual statistics on children treated as outpatients or inpatients in Swiss paediatric clinics for suspected or confirmed child abuse.

Almost all large and medium-sized paediatric clinics took part in the survey over time. As a result, the GPE-SPS considers that the statistics most certainly include a high proportion of cases of child abuse treated in a Swiss paediatric clinic.

For the first time in 2014, one of the conclusions mentions the link between domestic violence and the increase in the number of cases of psychological abuse suffered by children, who are very often, at least indirectly, affected. In 2021, the number of cases of psychological abuse caused by domestic violence will be quantified for the first time. The KidsToo Foundation felt it would be useful to present this data in a temporal perspective, which will give a better idea of how the various data evolve and may raise questions.

The essentials in brief

The latest version of the study is available here (FR, DE)

The number of victims more than doubled (*2.7 in 2023) between 2009 and 2023. The proportion of very young children (< 1 year old) is three to four times higher than in the underage population. Girls account for 50% of victims but 80% of victims of sexual violence.

The cumulative proportion of cases of physical and psychological abuse has been falling since 2017, reaching 58%. The proportion of cases of sexual abuse has been gradually falling since 2009, reaching 13% in 2023. The proportion of cases of neglect has been rising since 2016 and will reach 28% in 2023.

80% of child victims are family members. However, sexual violence within the family occurs proportionally only 4 to 5 times less often than violence by a third party.

In 2023, although minors accounted for only 11% of perpetrators, they represented 27% of perpetrators of sexual violence and 26% of perpetrators of physical violence. The years 2020-21, the COVID years with their semi-confinement, could explain some of the ‘’abnormalities‘’ observed compared with previous years.