To avoid military service: there is hardly any fraud when it comes to sex change

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Since 2022, you can easily change your gender on official documents in Switzerland. A visit to the registry office is sufficient to have you, as a woman, transferred to a man. The whole thing costs 75 francs.

Several politicians feared in advance that the new arrangement would be abused: “For example, you can avoid military service relatively easily and you do not have to pay any additional taxes,” feared SVP State Councilor Werner Salzmann (60). He had unsuccessfully requested stricter supervision by the court when changing gender.

“I cannot imagine that a young man would simply register as a woman in the registry office because of military service,” said then Minister of Justice Karin Keller-Sutter (59) during the debate more than three years ago.

Individual cases known

The “SonntagsZeitung” recently reported on a man who wanted to avoid the army and only changed his gender to female on paper.

The Federal Office of Justice has had a report written on this subject. This is available now. Author Christiana Fountoulakis (46), professor of private and civil law at the law faculty of the University of Freiburg, concludes that the fears are unfounded. Although there is abuse in individual cases, “a widespread or even systematic abuse of the right to make a statement” can be excluded.

The issue discussed in the media that young men would register as women by changing their gender in view of the impending military conscription is also quite unlikely.

In case of abuse there is a risk of punishment

Of the more than 700 registered cases, only 24 of those affected were about to enter military service. “According to the investigation, there was no evidence that the people made their statements for any reason other than their internal belief that they were women,” the report said.

However, the report states that we are aware of the case described in the “SonntagsZeitung”. This has not yet been completed. Under criminal law, such behavior can be classified as obtaining a false statement through fraud. According to the Criminal Code, this can result in a prison sentence of up to five years or a fine.

Pranksters were recognized

The civil registry offices contacted during the investigation stated that they suspected a possible unlawful change in 88 of the 786 cases. These included two gender changes that were classified as jokes. The cases must be reported to the cantonal supervisory authorities.

According to the Federal Statistical Office, a total of 1,171 gender changes were registered with the Swiss civil registry last year. Most applications came from 15 to 24 year olds, or 53 percent. 39 people whose gender was changed in the civil status register were under the age of 15.

The report further concludes that there is a need for a population register for non-binary people, that is, people who identify as neither male nor female. To date, Switzerland has only two genera. (she)

Source:Blick