Shining a light on Switzerland’s history of child labour

In the 19th century and early 20th century, children in Switzerland were a fundamental source of labour for families. This was especially the case in agriculture. Then industrialisation ushered an era in which children were exploited as cheap labour. A new exhibition sheds light on this underexplored aspect of Swiss history. Screen addiction is widespread today, with many children in Switzerland glued to their smartphones. As a result, they are forgetting how to play “normally”. According to a study by Save the Children, many teenagers spend more than five hours a day online, which is having a negative impact on their cognitive and social development. There were also many Swiss children in the 19th and early 20th centuries who did not know the true meaning of “play”. They had neither the opportunity nor the time for it, as they had to work to contribute to their family's income. Neglected chapter in Swiss history A new exhibition, Child Labour in the 19th and 20th Centuries at the ...