This publication aims to improve protection, support and participation for children in collective shelters. These recommendations are addressed to the role players of the competent authorities (federal administration, cantons and municipalities), the organizations or administrative bodies in charge of accommodation and care, and shelter managers and employees. The rights enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) are internationally binding and apply without any limitations to children seeking protection in Switzerland.
From the perspective of child rights, collective shelters harbor countless risks such as a lack of privacy, insufficient protection from violence, and a lack of access to education and psychosocial support. This publication therefore presents specific recommendations designed to support the efforts of the role players involved to make the conditions in collective shelters more child friendly.
