Carmen Bortolin

Carmen Bortolin studies contemporary history and cultural analysis at the University of Zurich, works at Hier und Jetzt Verlag, and is a student assistant on the ETH Decol project.

Children’s trains in the service of neutrality

Carmen Bortolin 12.02.2026 During the Second World War, the Swiss Red Cross brought thousands of war-stricken children to Switzerland from France. Intended to provide humanitarian assistance, this initiative also served political purposes – and not all children were welcome.

French and Monegasque children arriving in Geneva on board an evacuee train, 16 June 1942.