African parliaments are not safe for women - Study shows horrifying statistics of widespread sexism and violence against women MPs in Africa
shows that sexism, harassment and violence against women are ubiquitous in parliaments across Africa.80% of the women parliamentarians interviewed have experienced psychological violence in parliament,42% have received death threats, rape threats, or threats of beating or abduction, usually online, andWomen parliamentarians report that the majority of abuse stems from male parliamentarians, who are often from rival parties.
IPU president Duarte Pacheco said: “The conclusions reveal an insidious epidemic of sexism in parliaments in Africa. Sexism and gender-based violence against women threatens parliaments as it deters young women from entering politics. In particular, young women who aspire to change the world through politics are at risk of becoming disheartened. We need those young women in parliament for the sake of strong and representative democratic institutions.
However, with a prevalence of 39%, the level of sexual violence against women parliamentarians in Africa is considerably higher than in European parliaments and compared with global figures . In cases of sexual harassment against women parliamentarians, male colleagues from rival political parties account for 49% of the cases, followed closely by male colleagues from the same party at 41% of the cases.The study also reveals that 45% of female parliamentary staff who were interviewed have experienced sexual harassment at work.
Online attacks are also common but lower than in Europe . This can probably be partly attributed to greater disparities in women’s access to the internet between the two regions.The report also contains practical measures on how parliaments can eradicate sexism and violence against women in parliaments.
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