heks

People who stay in Switzerland for more than one month without an official residence permit and who have no intention of leaving Switzerland are known as sans-papiers ("without papers").

A central problem for many sans-papiers is the lack of access to healthcare – access to which any person living in Switzerland is legally entitled.

Anxiety among the sans-papiers about accepting legal aid makes it impossible for them to claim their rights. For them, a visit to public institutions (e.g. hospitals) is constantly associated with the risk of being exposed, reported and deported. This unstable way of life, marked by stress and violence, often contributes to psychosomatic problems. In running the SPAGAT project, HEKS champions the cause of more humane treatment for sans-papiers. A right to which all people – with or without official residence status – are entitled and which is enshrined in law.