Switzerland's credibility under threat Alliance: SVP's 10 million initiative jeopardizes children's rights
An alliance of children's and youth organizations has warned against the adoption of the "No 10 million Switzerland" initiative. The proposal would jeopardize children's rights and could lead to the denunciation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The vote will take place on June 14.
04.05.2026, 06:20
04.05.2026, 06:28
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- Pro Juventute, Child Protection Switzerland and other child and youth organizations warn against the adoption of the SVP's "No 10 Million Switzerland" initiative.
- Acceptance of the initiative would lead to concrete violations of children's rights in the areas of migration and asylum, as it would impose restrictions on asylum and family reunification.
- Such measures would separate children from their parents or leave them behind in insecure circumstances.
- The greatest danger, however, is a possible termination of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
- This would be a historic step backwards and would massively damage Switzerland's credibility as a guardian of humanitarian tradition.
The initiative would jeopardize the protection of the rights of all children and young people in Switzerland, an alliance of children's, youth and non-governmental organizations announced on Monday. The signatory organizations include Pro Juventute, Child Protection Switzerland, SOS Children's Villages Switzerland and the Swiss Working Group of Youth Associations.
Accepting the initiative would lead to concrete violations of children's rights in the areas of migration and asylum, as it would impose restrictions on asylum and family reunification. Such measures would separate children from their parents or leave them behind in insecure circumstances.
The greatest danger, however, is a possible termination of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). This would be a historic step backwards and would massively damage Switzerland's credibility as a guardian of humanitarian tradition.
Termination of the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons possible
The Convention is not an abstract piece of paper, but has a daily impact in practice. It obliges authorities and courts to give priority to the best interests of the child in all state decisions. Children's rights are non-negotiable and should not be made dependent on statistical thresholds.
The popular initiative "No 10 million Switzerland" launched by the SVP aims to add a new article on "sustainable population development" to the Federal Constitution. The permanent resident population should not exceed ten million people before 2050.
If the threshold of 9.5 million people is reached before 2050, the Federal Council and parliament would have to take measures. These include restrictions on settlement permits for temporarily admitted persons and on family reunification. International agreements that promote population growth would have to be renegotiated or terminated. As a final measure, Switzerland would have to terminate the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons with the EU.
