Facebook Twitter Google+ Wordpress YouTube RSS Channel Newsletters

Women Can, Women Act, Women Change!

Ge

En

Ru

Women lawmakers face sexism, violence on job - report

Stephanie Nebehay
Category: Gender policy 
2016-10-27

Women members of parliament (MPs) in all regions face sexism, harassment and violence from male lawmakers and are increasingly targeted by online humiliation campaigns, a report said on Wednesday.

 

The first study on the issue by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) follows scandals in France and other countries where women have denounced abuse in the corridors of power.

 

Sexist violence and harassment against women lawmakers is "real and widespread", the report said. The findings suggested "that the phenomenon knows no boundaries and exists to different degrees in every country, affecting a significant number of women parliamentarians".

 

The results were based on data provided by 55 women parliamentarians of all ages who were selected from 39 countries in five regions.

 

Four out of five of the women reported having been subjected to hostile behaviour causing psychological harm or fear. Some 44.4 percent said they had received threats of death, rape, beatings or abduction during their terms.

 

"The respondents said that most of these acts were committed by their male colleagues - from opposing or their own parties," it said.

 

Being under 40, or belonging to the opposition or a minority group, are "aggravating factors" that put women at risk, according to the study by the Geneva-based body that links 171 national parliaments.

 

The IPU called for male and female MPs to denounce such behaviour and for codes of conduct and complaint procedures to be put in place. Females account for 22.8 percent of some 46,000 parliamentarians worldwide.

 

"The report ... is an eye-opener, it's the first of its kind. We have gone out to interview members of parliament, to have their own personal perspectives, from their own experience," Martin Chungong, IPU secretary-general, told a news briefing.

 

"We are looking at how we can help resolve some of these issues, because they are actually a stumbling block to political participation of women," he said.

 

Women lawmakers endure hostile behaviour and sexist violence in parliamentary offices and political meetings, as well as the newer arenas created by social media, the report said.

 

Women MPs from sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East "described photomontages showing them nude, photos of them accompanied by disparaging comments, obscene drawings of their person or information published in the social media suggesting that they had had marital problems and failed private lives," the report said.

 

 

Source 

Tags: Women parliament sexism harassment report

Previous Page 

Webmaster

 

Announcements

Beyond the Shelter

The youth exhibitions and installations

Women’s Fund in Georgia is honored to invite you to 2016 Kato Mikeladze Award Ceremony

 

Video archive

Research on Youth Views on Gender Equality

 

Gender policy

Three women vie to become next Paris mayor

With a nod from parliament, Greece gets first female president

Barack Obama: Women are better leaders than men

 

Photo archive

Swedish politicians visit in WIC

 

Trafficking

To end slavery, free 10,000 people a day for a decade, report says

Interpol rescues 85 children in Sudan trafficking ring

Mother Teresa India charity 'sold babies'

 

Hot Line

Tel.: 116 006

Consultation Hotline for victims of domestic violence

Tel.: 2 100 229

Consultation Hotline for victims of human trafficking

Tel.: 2 26 16 27

Hotline Anti-violence Network of Georgia (NGO)

ფემიციდი - ქალთა მიმართ ძალადობის მონიტორინგი
eXTReMe Tracker