Like any country, some shocking Swiss facts and societal taboos are lingering in a dimly lit back alley. They are out of sight for those who do not care to inquire, but they are there nonetheless. I find it important that we shed light on Switzerland from every angle. So this article is not meant as a critique but as a way of fulfilling our duty as unbiased online journalists.
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Active euthanasia, or assisted suicide, is legal in Switzerland, but only under certain conditions. According to a 2017 report, more than 5000 people have used assisted suicide services in Switzerland since the practice was decriminalized in 1942.
Despite the tradition of direct democracy, women were only granted the right to vote in national elections in 1971 (66% of men voted “yes” at the time). It took another 20 years until the last canton, Appenzell Innerrhoden, extended local voting rights to women.
In 1973, Marijke Moser – who signed up as “Markus Aebischer” — was pulled off the traditional Morat-Fribourg course before she could cross the finish line. It took four more years before women were legally allowed to participate.
These indentured child laborers were placed on farms where they had to work for free. The generations of Swiss Verdingkinder have provided an estimated 20 billion francs worth of free labor. An official government apology followed in 2013.