"Dear Mommy, dear Daddy, just count to ten"

Every second child in Switzerland experiences violence during their upbringing.

The offspring do not always want what you want, they defy, discuss and sometimes scream - or more. Psychologically and physically injurious punishments as a means of education are an everyday reality in many Swiss families and are unfortunately still part of parenting for many. The aim of the three-year awareness campaign of the Swiss Child Protection Foundation on the subject of violence in education is to stimulate public discussion on the subject and to encourage rethinking and action. The predominant social norm in Switzerland of "sometimes there's just no other way" is addressed without condemning or criminalising it.

Frightening numbers in Switzerland 

The campaign is based on the latest study conducted by the University of Fribourg on the punishment behaviour of parents in Switzerland and on the principles of instructional education. Of the more than 1.2 million Swiss children (1-15 years), more than 550,000 have undergone physical punishment. In the short documentary film about the campaign, children from Switzerland describe how their parents react when they disobey or have done something wrong. It quickly becomes clear that even today many parents in stressful situations regularly resort to painful or humiliating punishments as a means of education. The film clearly shows how much children suffer as a result of these measures and the associated violence. The campaign offers action alternatives from the children's perspective and thus creates space for self-awareness and ideas.

Experts agree that all forms of violence in education (psychological, physical and sexualised violence and neglect) have far-reaching negative effects and have a lasting impact on both physical and mental health and on the development of the children concerned. In the short term, painful or degrading punishments may work, but in the long term they do great harm, as science has agreed for years. Everyday life with children requires a lot of backbone and posture. Raising children without psychologically or physically injurious punishments does not mean that children can do everything. Strong children need strong parents. Parents who are prepared to remain consistent, to stand up against the wishes of the child, to assert their own values and limits while at the same time respecting the limits and dignity of the child - because that is precisely the daily challenge of upbringing.

In the short documentary film of the campaign, children are asked how they experience their upbringing. By changing perspectives, the campaign creates space for self-awareness and ideas. The ideas come from the children themselves: They show non-violent action alternatives for parents.

https://youtu.be/23L2TSmLELQ
 

T-Shirt only available on Stadtlandkind.ch! 

The children's ideas were printed on T-shirts to visualize their concerns. You want one of these T-shirts? The GOTS-certified organic T-shirts were produced in cooperation with the Stiftung Kinderschutz fair and sustainably in Portugal and will be exclusively available in the three languages from 20 November 2018 during the campaign.