Important update:
Information on cross-border visitation rights.
On April 16, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) issued a more precise directive.
This directive explicitly permits entry into Switzerland for the purpose of exercising visitation rights. Click here for the directive.
Updated information on the website of the
umbrella organization for shared parenting, GeCoBi
It is clear that visits are still possible and permitted during this time.
This has now been unequivocally confirmed in Switzerland and neighboring countries. Provided there is no illness or infection, visits should remain possible under the terms of visitation rights. Therefore, COVID-19 alone is not a reason to deny contact. Of course, we also appeal to parents' common sense to carefully consider whether or not a visit poses a health risk. Nevertheless, it must be clear that these visits are a very valuable and important asset – and therefore absolutely worthy of protection.
Supervised Visitation Rights:
A major difficulty is that all supervised visitation sessions and programs are currently unavailable. Parents who need to see their children under these conditions are therefore facing significant challenges.
Binational Families
: Unfortunately, the current situation also looks bleak for binational families. Crossing borders to exercise contact rights is apparently not possible, neither from Switzerland nor into Switzerland. The overriding public interest is cited as the reason.
Demands:
We call on the authorities to develop cross-border proposals on how such contact can continue to be made possible.
It is also important that particular attention is paid to the potential danger of alienation, especially during this time. If contact between child and parent is interrupted, conscious or unconscious alienation can take effect very quickly. Here, too, the authorities are urged to be especially vigilant.
Possible measures / ideas
- Could a place be set up near the border where parents and children could meet?
Information on visitation rights within Switzerland:
Continuously updated information from the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) (link no longer exists);
Position paper of the KOKES (Conference for Child and Adult Protection);
Article in the Swiss Illustrated magazine
Current information on visitation rights
in Germany (Source: Fathers' Initiative for Children) and
Austria (Source: Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection) (Link no longer exists)
Scientific texts
France: Confinement: que faire pour les enfants?