In this blog Hannah Phillips and Rosario Grimà Algora, Research Associates at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford, share insights from a new report on addressing violence against women in politics.
In this ‘mega election’ year with over 70 national elections representing over half of the world’s population, addressing gendered political violence is not only a women’s issue but is about strengthening democracy for all.
We know that representative democracy is under threat from growing violence against politically active women. Research shows that violence, from verbal harassment to ‘deep-fakes’ to rape threats, is a daily reality for women politicians on different levels of government across the world. For example, the Inter-Parliamentary Union found that 82% of surveyed women parliamentarians had experienced psychological violence and 26% physical violence.
Measuring and monitoring the problem is essential to understand its manifestations and causes. Due to the complexity of online abuse, much more research is still needed to understand it. We find that the most compelling evidence draws on a combination of research techniques through mixed- and multi-method studies to gain more precise insights on the incidence and nature of online and offline violence. Data collection is not just the responsibility of academic and civil society researchers but should form part of government policy in order to form evidence-based solutions.
We, with Agostina Bergia and other researchers, examine how the problem has been and could be tackled by governments. As pioneered by Bolivia and others in the Latin American context, governments should consider adopting specific, stand-alone laws to address violence against women in politics. Of course, legislation is only as good as its implementation. It took over twelve years to prosecute the murder of Juana Quispe, the politician which prompted the first stand-alone law on violence against women in politics in Bolivia. This example points to the need for proper resourcing and gender-specific training for those involved in all stages of law enforcement – from police to prosecutors to judges. Even when training is offered, it needs to be implemented with the support and leadership from senior officials. The online nature of the abuse also requires regulating the online space, and holding social media platforms accountable for keeping women safe in this new public space.
While government policy is crucial, the complexity of this phenomenon requires further action from other actors. Civil society organisations, such as HateAid, have pioneered ways to support politically active women facing violence. Social media platforms have the power – but not always the will – to create safer online spaces through proactive content moderation and adequate reporting mechanisms. Government institutions and political parties can implement policy frameworks such as behavioural codes of conducts with a zero tolerance to harassment, and establish adequate reporting mechanisms.
Our report is the starting point for a longer-term project, which seeks to better understand how to address this pressing issue. We will work with an international team to conduct case studies around the world on what works – and what doesn’t – on supporting women to be safe in politics.
For more information about the ‘Strengthening Democracy by Reducing Threats to Women in Politics’ project at the University of Oxford, please contact Hannah Phillips: hannah.phillips@spi.ox.ac.uk