Ahead of the Luzern carnival, which runs from 4 to 9 February 2016, the canton has produced a six page flyer featuring pictograms, covering subjects such as gender equality, religious tolerance, democracy, rule of law and rules around social interaction. The Swissinfo video below explains that the flyer is intended to inform foreigners about western behavioural norms and is not about putting anyone under general suspicion.
After the attacks against women in Cologne, several other German cities and Sweden recently the canton of Luzern wants to calm fears and do something constructive to prevent similar assaults on women.
Behavioural guidance includes such information as “Physical contact between two people only occurs when the two people know each other and consent. Sexual violence is forbidden.”
Subjects such as the age of consent: “Sexual acts with children under the age of 16 are forbidden by law”, and same sex relationships: “Same sex relationships are allowed in Switzerland”, are also covered.
Gender equality is prominently featured by a picture of a balanced scale with a man on one side and a woman on the other side.
According to 20 Minutes, inspiration for the flyer came from Austria, and other Swiss cantons have reportedly shown an interest in the idea.
The full flyer can be found on the canton’s website.
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