Switzerland Gender-based violence
Chemical submission: Baume-Schneider calls for more prevention and rigour
In an interview with SonntagsBlick, the federal councillor says the phenomenon is still little known and also happens within the home. A national action plan is due to be presented next year.
Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider is calling for a more determined effort against chemical submission, the practice of administering substances that render a person helpless and compliant. In an interview with SonntagsBlick, the head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) noted that until now the public has known too little about the fact that such abuse also takes place within the home.
For the 62-year-old Social Democrat, elected to the Federal Council for the canton of Jura, what is needed is more prevention through information, together with judicial authorities that prosecute these offences rigorously. Violence against women, she recalled, is a structural problem present throughout society.
Legally, such conduct is already prohibited by the federal law on narcotics. According to Baume-Schneider, there is nevertheless room for improvement. Several initiatives tabled in parliament aim to close the legal gaps concerning the availability of certain medicines; the regulation of these specific drugs is currently under discussion.
In Switzerland, the issue has returned to the fore with the case of a former SVP member of the Aargau cantonal parliament, accused of drugging several women, including a minor, and then raping them. The two women who had the courage to make the case public showed great strength, the federal councillor said.
At the international level, the silence surrounding the phenomenon was broken by the case of Frenchwoman Gisèle Pelicot, which brought chemical submission to the attention of a wide audience.
A national action plan
The national strategy against domestic and gender-based violence was announced by the federal government in February. The FDHA and the Federal Department of Justice and Police are now merging their activities into a single action plan. The document is expected to be presented next year, in 2027.
Finally, Baume-Schneider advises victims not to hesitate to seek help and to go to hospital immediately.
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