No hunting propaganda by hobby hunters in schools
In schools and kindergartens, hobby hunters increasingly appear as supposed nature educators. Parallel to this, ideologically colored teaching materials from the JagdSchweiz environment, such as through the kiknet platform, are being introduced into the classroom. This gives children a one-sided, hunting-friendly worldview, while violence, animal welfare problems and risks are systematically excluded.
1. Motion
The government council is mandated to present to the Grand Council a proposal to amend the primary school law (………), the corresponding implementing ordinances (………), the children and youth assistance law (………) as well as other relevant statutes as applicable, which will prevent teaching by hobby hunters in schools and kindergartens in the canton (………), keep ideologically influenced hunting propaganda such as that of JagdSchweiz out of the classroom, and establish a children's rights-compliant, violence-free educational practice. The legislative revision must particularly ensure,
- that at public and state co-financed schools and kindergartens
- no hunting clubs, associations or hobby hunters may conduct teaching units, project days, experience weeks or similar offerings that directly or indirectly promote hunting or positively portray the handling of firearms and killing acts
- external offerings on the topics of forests, wildlife, biodiversity and nature conservation may only be conducted by pedagogically qualified, institutionally independent specialist agencies (including nature centers, game wardens, recognized environmental education organizations).
- that in particular it is prohibited,
- allowing children and young people to participate in hunts, killing activities or the butchering of animals within the framework of school or holiday programs, or involving them as spectators in hunting activities
- using children with prepared, butchered or bloody animals as a backdrop for hunting propaganda, advertising photos or social media posts
- giving children weapons or weapon-like replicas to recreate hunting scenes or to present shooting animals as recreational entertainment.
- that teaching materials from the hunting association environment, particularly from JagdSchweiz and via platforms like kiknet from JagdSchweiz, are not recognized as neutral educational resources. Materials that present hunting as an inherently sustainable measure for biodiversity conservation and damage prevention, without adequately addressing animal welfare problems, missed shots, animal suffering and societal criticism, are considered interest-driven communication and are not permissible for regular instruction.
- that cantonal guidelines for external school programs stipulate,
- that conflicts of interest must be disclosed and organizations whose main purpose lies in killing animals for recreational purposes are generally not permitted as educational partners
- that teaching materials from hunting associations and recreational hunters may not be uncritically adopted, but may only be used in a clearly designated, pluralistic context
- that children's rights, animal welfare and violence prevention are to be given priority consideration when assessing external programs.
- that cantonal education authorities
- issue recommendations and directives requiring school administrations and teachers to fundamentally reject programs from hunting clubs or recreational hunters
- particularly that cooperation with JagdSchweiz and their school programs as well as linking to hunting education portals on official channels of schools and education authorities must be discontinued
- instead promote cooperation with wildlife wardens, nature and animal protection organizations, environmental education centers and scientific institutions that convey a non-violent perspective on animals and nature.
- that the training and continuing education of teachers includes mandatory content on
- children's rights, particularly the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the protection of children from violence
- psychological risks of violence and killing scenes for children
- handling lobby and propaganda programs in the education sector
and enables teachers to critically assess hunting programs and materials such as those from JagdSchweiz.
- that the government council explains in the message,
- to what extent schools and kindergartens in the canton (……… ) have used programs from hunting clubs or recreational hunters in recent years (school visits, project weeks, materials)
- whether and in what form teaching materials from JagdSchweiz, particularly via kiknet, were used or recommended in the canton (……… )
- what contractual or informal cooperation exists between education authorities and hunting associations
- how this practice is compatible with obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, child and youth protection law as well as with cantonal mission statements on violence prevention and animal ethics.
- that the regulations are coordinated with the motion 'Children must be protected from violence in hunting' so that children are protected both from direct hunting violence and from hunting indoctrination and one-sided association propaganda in the education sector.
The government council considers the necessary transitional provisions in its proposal, particularly for ongoing school years, already agreed projects and existing educational material contracts.
2. Brief justification
In various cantons, hunting associations and hobby hunters offer classroom visits, project days and holiday camps for children and young people. They present themselves as supposed nature educators, although their central concern is to gain acceptance and recruit new members for a hobby that is based on killing animals with firearms.
In parallel, educational offerings are emerging from the direct environment of the hunting lobby. The kiknet jagdschweiz platform presents modern hunting under the title «Hunting and Wild Animals» as sustainable, scientifically founded and as a measure for biodiversity conservation and prevention of damage to vegetation, animals and humans. Critical aspects such as animal welfare problems, wounding, missed shots, den hunting, driven hunts and the societal controversy are barely or not at all addressed in these materials.
This is therefore not neutral education, but interest-driven communication by an association that politically and economically pursues a clear goal: legitimization and stabilization of recreational hunting. Critics describe this form of influence on children as sect-like and militant. Independent of this assessment, the following applies: An association whose core purpose is killing animals for recreational purposes and which actively engages in political lobbying is not a neutral educational partner.
Reports show that hobby hunters work in educational institutions with taxidermied animals, hunting games and experiential weeks. Real hunting violence, the suffering of animals and the known problems of driven hunts are ignored or trivialized. Children who like animals are supposed to simultaneously learn that killing these animals is normal recreational entertainment. Weapons are presented as an acceptable means to resolve conflicts with animals.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child guarantees all minors the right to physical and psychological integrity and obligates the state to protect children from violence. Violence against animals is not experienced by children abstractly as population regulation, but as an immediate situation of persecution, injury and death. Child psychology literature warns against presenting violence toward animals as normal or positive, because this can blunt empathy and shift attitudes toward violence.
According to federal law, no canton in Switzerland must provide for recreational hunting. It is the right of the cantons to decide whether hunting is permitted or not. If a canton decides against hunting or even only partially against hunting, it can freely do so according to the federal constitution. The canton of Geneva has long chosen this exemplary path.
Schools and kindergartens have the mandate to strengthen children, to think critically, to reject violence and to develop respect for other living beings. They are not a recruitment field for violence-based hobbies and no stage for association propaganda. External offerings are meaningful when they are professionally independent, pedagogically qualified and oriented toward the fundamental rights of children.
With the present motion, the government council is tasked with drawing a clear line:
- No hunting indoctrination in the educational sector.
- No normalization of weapons and killing violence toward animals in schools and kindergartens.
- No use of one-sided association materials such as those from JagdSchweiz as supposedly neutral teaching materials.
- Strengthening of children's rights, animal welfare and independent environmental education.
This ensures that children grow up in an educational environment that does not sell violence as recreational entertainment, but promotes a culture of empathy and respect toward all living beings.