Osmanoğlu and Kocabaş v. Switzerland was a case heard by the European Court of Human Rights in a chamber judgement concerning whether mandatory mixed-gender swimming for girls against the will of their Muslim parents who objected on religious grounds violated Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights by contravening religious freedom.
[1][2][3] The case concerned parents of Turkish origin and Muslim faith, residing in Switzerland, who refused on religious grounds to permit their two daughters (born 1999 and 2001)[4] take part in compulsory swimming lessons at their public school because in their view mixed-gendered swimming violated the requirement in Islam for females to be properly covered in front of males.
In 2010, the authorities ordered the parents to pay a fine of 1,400 Swiss francs, about 1,292 euros, because their daughters had not taken the required class.
[7] It put emphasis on the fact that in the opinion of the court the school had shown flexibility by offering to allow the girls to swim in burkinis and to change their clothes in a room with no boys present.
[7] It further found that it was important for social integration, particularly for children of foreign origins, that pupils take full part in their education and not be exempted because of their parental background.