Swiss senate votes to make gender discrimination punishable by law

Incitement to hatred or discrimination on the grounds of gender should be punishable in Switzerland. On Wednesday, the Senate voted 21-18 in favour of six similar parliamentary initiatives to supplement the penal code. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The texts were submitted by women lawmakers from all parties except the right-wing Swiss People's Party. They note that hatred and violence against women are unfortunately widespread. Social Democratic senator Mathilde Crevoisier Crelier also highlighted the upsurge in acts of hatred against women, and called for a clear signal to be sent out against such violence. + Do women have equal rights in Switzerland? Adding an additional ground to the criminal anti-discrimination law is not a solution. Current legislation is sufficient. It needs to be better enforced, argued Beat Rieder, of the Centre Party, for the committee. He was opposed to extending the standard, and feared it would overload the judicial system.