Breaking the Silence About Compulsory Social Measures in Switzerland: Consequences for Survivor Families
So‐called compulsory social measures (CSM) represent a dark chapter in Swiss history. Hundreds of thousands of children and adolescents from families affected by poverty were placed in foster families and homes, or used as labourers on farms. These decisions could hardly be appealed. Many minors suf...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cogitatio
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Social Inclusion |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/7691 |
| _version_ | 1797244352261521408 |
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| author | Nadine Gautschi Andrea Abraham |
| author_facet | Nadine Gautschi Andrea Abraham |
| author_sort | Nadine Gautschi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | So‐called compulsory social measures (CSM) represent a dark chapter in Swiss history. Hundreds of thousands of children and adolescents from families affected by poverty were placed in foster families and homes, or used as labourers on farms. These decisions could hardly be appealed. Many minors suffered traumatic violence in out‐of‐home placements. In 1981 the relevant laws were redrafted and the practice of CSM was officially stopped. Nevertheless, CSM were considered taboo for decades in Swiss politics and society. Often survivors even concealed their experiences from their own partners and children. It was not until 2013 that a major political and social reappraisal began. Against this background, we analyse how the state breaking its silence on the issue, through the initiating of public reappraisal, changed the way families deal with their parents’ history regarding CSM. To this end, six biographical interviews with adult descendants of survivors were analysed using grounded theory methodology. The results show that the public reappraisal triggered processes of revealing secrets from parental history in families, which also enabled emotional rapprochement between family members. However, it also opened up new areas of family tension and found expression in new constellations of silence. Overall Switzerland’s state action had ambivalent consequences for survivor families. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T19:09:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-87751cbd06f542a68268f23cb5cd3bcf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2183-2803 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T19:09:39Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Cogitatio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Inclusion |
| spelling | doaj.art-87751cbd06f542a68268f23cb5cd3bcf2024-03-26T11:55:33ZengCogitatioSocial Inclusion2183-28032024-02-0112010.17645/si.76913462Breaking the Silence About Compulsory Social Measures in Switzerland: Consequences for Survivor FamiliesNadine Gautschi0Andrea Abraham1Social Work, Bern University of Applied Science, SwitzerlandSocial Work, Bern University of Applied Science, SwitzerlandSo‐called compulsory social measures (CSM) represent a dark chapter in Swiss history. Hundreds of thousands of children and adolescents from families affected by poverty were placed in foster families and homes, or used as labourers on farms. These decisions could hardly be appealed. Many minors suffered traumatic violence in out‐of‐home placements. In 1981 the relevant laws were redrafted and the practice of CSM was officially stopped. Nevertheless, CSM were considered taboo for decades in Swiss politics and society. Often survivors even concealed their experiences from their own partners and children. It was not until 2013 that a major political and social reappraisal began. Against this background, we analyse how the state breaking its silence on the issue, through the initiating of public reappraisal, changed the way families deal with their parents’ history regarding CSM. To this end, six biographical interviews with adult descendants of survivors were analysed using grounded theory methodology. The results show that the public reappraisal triggered processes of revealing secrets from parental history in families, which also enabled emotional rapprochement between family members. However, it also opened up new areas of family tension and found expression in new constellations of silence. Overall Switzerland’s state action had ambivalent consequences for survivor families.https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/7691institutional silenceout‐of‐home placementpublic reappraisalqualitative analysiswelfare and coercion |
| spellingShingle | Nadine Gautschi Andrea Abraham Breaking the Silence About Compulsory Social Measures in Switzerland: Consequences for Survivor Families Social Inclusion institutional silence out‐of‐home placement public reappraisal qualitative analysis welfare and coercion |
| title | Breaking the Silence About Compulsory Social Measures in Switzerland: Consequences for Survivor Families |
| title_full | Breaking the Silence About Compulsory Social Measures in Switzerland: Consequences for Survivor Families |
| title_fullStr | Breaking the Silence About Compulsory Social Measures in Switzerland: Consequences for Survivor Families |
| title_full_unstemmed | Breaking the Silence About Compulsory Social Measures in Switzerland: Consequences for Survivor Families |
| title_short | Breaking the Silence About Compulsory Social Measures in Switzerland: Consequences for Survivor Families |
| title_sort | breaking the silence about compulsory social measures in switzerland consequences for survivor families |
| topic | institutional silence out‐of‐home placement public reappraisal qualitative analysis welfare and coercion |
| url | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/7691 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nadinegautschi breakingthesilenceaboutcompulsorysocialmeasuresinswitzerlandconsequencesforsurvivorfamilies AT andreaabraham breakingthesilenceaboutcompulsorysocialmeasuresinswitzerlandconsequencesforsurvivorfamilies |