Switzerland votes to ban full face coverings in public places

 The vote means that full facial covering will be banned in all publicly accessible places in Switzerland including on the streets, public transport, in public offices such as restaurants, shops and in the countryside.

Switzerland on March 7, 2021 narrowly voted in favour of a proposal banning full facial coverings including the burqa and niqab in almost all public places. In the public referendum, around 51.21 percent of voters voted in support of the controversial proposal.

The vote means that full facial covering will be banned in all publicly accessible places in Switzerland including on the streets, public transport, in public offices such as restaurants, shops and in the countryside.

Where will full-face covering be allowed?

The full-face covering will be allowed in places of worship and other sacred sites. It will also be allowed for health and safety reasons and in situations where it is a local custom such as carnivals. 

Key Highlights 

•  According to the proposal by the Swiss Federal Government, there will be no additional exceptions such as for tourists. 

•  The proposal to ban full-face coverings in public places was put forward by several groups including the right-wing Swiss People's Party. 

•  The proposal does not mention Islam specifically but has been widely referred to as the "burqa ban" in the media. 

•  The proposal was  widely criticised by the Swiss Federal Government, the Swiss religious organizations and human rights and civic groups. 

Response to the Ban

The Swiss Council of Religions, which represents all major religious communities in Switzerland, stated that the human right to religious freedom also protects religious practices such as dress codes.

The Swiss Federal Council, which serves as the country's federal government along with the Swiss Parliament also rejected the initiative and advised people to vote against it. 

Background

The referendum to ban full-face coverings in Switzerland came after years of debates. Another referendum 12 years ago outlawed the construction of minarets in Switzerland.

France was the first European nation to ban burqas and niqabs in public places in 2011. The European Court of Human Rights had upheld the ban in 2014.

Several other nations in Europe now have bans, partial bans or local bans on face coverings including Germany, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands. 

The United Nations Human Rights Committee stated in 2018 that the bans violate the human rights of Muslim women and risk "confining them to their homes."