Poverty among children and young people in Switzerland is a social time bomb and largely a taboo issue, according to a Swiss report published on Tuesday.
Nearly one in two recipients of Swiss social benefits are young people, and string of urgent measures are needed to address the issue, said the report, which was released by the Federal Commission for Children and Young People.
The commission called for a nationwide plan of action and urging politicians - ahead of October's federal elections - to treat the issue seriously.
Figures from 2005 show that almost 45 percent of those receiving social aid were people under the age of 25.
"For me it is a really big problem... for example if we take people above the age of 65 they represent only 1.5 percent, so it shows a very big discrepancy between young and older people," said Chantal Ostorero, who led the study.
Among the groups most at risk are children whose parents are unemployed, those living in a single-parent family, children of immigrant parents or those who have more than two brothers and sisters, the report said.
Those most affected live in large urban areas, where one in ten young people between the ages of 18 and 25 is dependent on social aid.
The commission, which began to tackle the problem two years ago, considered that economic and social integration of young people was "vital for Switzerland's future."
It suggested that the government take more responsibility for education and doing more to help young people into the job market on a long-term basis.
It also suggested the creation of a national fund for vocational training. A tripartite body would manage this, with representatives from employees, employers and the authorities.
Source: Xinhua
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