Press releasePublished on 1 June 2026

The national ‘Equality prevents violence’ campaign enters its second phase

Bern, 01.06.2026 — From 1 June, the prevention of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence will once again be the focus of a nationwide campaign across Switzerland. The campaign will draw attention to the plight of victims of violence and raise awareness of support services available to them – including the new Victim Support Helpline 142.

Launched by Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider in November 2025, the national campaign to prevent domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is now entering its second phase. The aim is to reach a wide audience with prevention messages and information about support services. The 142 helpline will also figure prominently. Available 24/7 all over Switzerland since 1 May 2026, this free and anonymous helpline was set up by the cantons to assist and advise victims of violence and their close contacts.

The campaign is sponsored by the Confederation, the cantons and a large number of communes and civil society organisations. This broad mobilisation reflects the importance of this issue within society. The budget increase approved by Parliament at the end of 2025 has enabled the campaign’s scope to be expanded, sending a strong signal of growing political commitment to combating violence.

The six themes from the first phase are complemented by two new visuals – one focusing on children exposed to domestic violence and the other on digital surveillance. These themes and visuals will form the basis of a nationwide poster campaign. Flyers in 13 languages (French, German, Italian, Romansh, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Albanian, Turkish, Russian, Ukrainian, Arabic and Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian/Montenegrin) as well as in easy-to-read language will also be distributed across the country to reach as many people as possible.

Domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is very common. In 2025, the police recorded 22,000 offences related to domestic violence, accounting for 44% of all violent offences. Domestic violence accounted for 34 homicides in 2025, representing more than half (61.8%) of all homicides recorded in Switzerland (55 in total). Of these 34 victims, 21 were killed in the context of a current or former intimate partner relationship – including 19 women and 2 men.

Launched in response to a parliamentary motion, the prevention campaign is part of the Confederation’s Equality Strategy 2030 and is aligned with objectives of the Istanbul Convention. It complements the many other initiatives undertaken at federal, cantonal and communal level as well as by civil society organisations to address domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. The campaign will undergo regular monitoring and evaluation to gauge its impact and make targeted adjustments. To this end, a representative survey on violence and equality was carried out in autumn 2025 to take stock of the situation. This study will enable the long-term impact of the campaign to be assessed and its effects to be documented scientifically.

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