New statistical data has highlighted the prevalence of domestic violence across different population groups in Switzerland, sparking a political debate over its root causes.
SVP National Councillor Pascal Schmid argues that the figures identify this primarily as a migration problem, noting that even foreign women are accused of these offenses more frequently than Swiss men.
Schmid requested data from the Federal Council, which provided an analysis of domestic violence frequency broken down by gender and nationality. The results show that for every 10,000 foreign men in the permanent resident population, 33.3 were accused of domestic violence in 2024, compared to 12.6 for Swiss men. For women, the rate was 13.2 for foreign women and 4.4 for Swiss women.
The data shows that foreign women are accused of domestic violence at slightly higher rates than Swiss men, however, foreign men clearly dominate in this category of crime overall, according to Blick.
In response to the latest Swiss data, Schmit wrote: “Domestic violence is not simply a problem solely affecting men, but primarily a migration problem.”
This data comes after similar findings in Germany showed that women from certain foreign groups in 2024 were more violent than German men. The data showed that for 100,000 German men, 272 were suspected of a violent offense. For Syrian women, this figure per 100,000 was 336. Clearly, Syrian women were more violent than German men. Afghan women are also more violent, with a rate of 359, even more violent than Syrian women. Iraqi women have an incredible rate of 394, which is considerably more than that of German men.
In Switzerland, research indicates that approximately 1 in 10 women will be a victim of physical or sexual violence in a romantic relationship during her adult life.
Between 2011 and 2014, an average of 22 female and four male victims died on an annual basis due to violence in intimate partner relationships. In 2024, Switzerland recorded over 21,000 cases of domestic violence, representing a 6 percent increase from the previous year. This involves a wide variety of violent categories, including sexual assault, rape, stalking, abuse, physical assault, and murder.
However, other politicians see violence as a multifaceted phenomenon, SP National Councillor Tamara Funiciello stated: “Violence is multidimensional” and that “we must combat it at all levels – now and regardless of its origin.”
Funiciello successfully led a campaign for increased funding for women’s protection during the December budget debate, which resulted in an additional million Swiss francs towards prevention efforts.
SVP stated that instead of throwing more money at the problem, the left needs to stop “turning a blind eye to the problem of crime committed by foreigners.”
Schmid notes that “foreign women are thus more frequently violent than Swiss men. This proves that domestic violence is not simply a male problem, but primarily a migration problem.” He argues that “Instead of placing Swiss men under general suspicion, we must” address the issue through migration policy.
“We have to put a stop to immigration from Stone Age cultures that have a completely different relationship with women and don’t know the concept of equality,” he added.
The SVP is now demanding an expansion of offenses that trigger mandatory deportation to include all official domestic violence offenses. Schmid argues, “We have to crack down harder on perpetrators,” adding that “simply distributing flyers in 20 languages and employing even more social workers won’t achieve anything.”
Funiciello maintains that the SVP is avoiding the real issues, stating, “The SVP is once again shifting responsibility onto a group instead of rethinking its own role models and seeking solutions for society as a whole.”
She emphasizes that factors such as witnessing childhood violence and socioeconomic status are critical.
“Financial problems due to low wages or cramped living conditions, which disproportionately affect foreigners, are more likely to lead to conflict situations,” she notes. She concluded that because women often lack the financial safety net to leave abusive partners, “we must combat it at all levels — now and regardless of its origin.”
Of course, it could be argued that cramped living conditions in Switzerland are also a problem derived in large part due to mass immigration. There is currently a housing crisis in the country, with vacancy rates at a record low of less than 1 percent. This pattern of soaring housing prices tied to mass immigration has been seen throughout the Western world, including in Britain, Australia, Canada, and many other nations.
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