On 10 September 2013, the Swiss House of Representatives, following a vote from the Senate, passed a bill to amend the Penal Code provisions addressing child prostitution and child pornography.
Under the new law, buying sex from a child between 16 and 18 years of age is punishable by a term of imprisonment not exceeding 3 years. Anyone convicted of prostituting a child under 18 years of age will face up to 10 years in prison. In addition, recruiting and coercing children between 16 to 18 years of age into child pornography is now punishable by a term of imprisonment not exceeding 5 years.
ECPAT Switzerland has been advocating for better protection of children from sexual exploitation, including recent recommendations to the Swiss Parliament. Executive Director of ECPAT Switzerland, Talia Bongni comments, “We are very pleased that finally important gaps in the Swiss Criminal Code will be closed.”
Read the press release from ECPAT Switzerland here.