Violence against women in
elections (VAWE) is an under-researched topic, partly because of the lack of
data and agreed definitions in this field. VAWE is considered as a form of
violence that hinders the realization of women’s political rights in electoral
contexts. It comprises several types of violence, including harassment,
intimidation, psychological abuse, sexual violence and physical attacks,
directed to women with different roles in the electoral process, such as
voters, candidates, party supporters, observers, electoral administrators or
public officials, among others. Electoral stakeholders can use a wide range of
strategies to prevent and mitigate VAWE throughout the electoral cycle,
including mapping and measuring VAWE, integrating this component into election
observation and violence monitoring, fostering legal and policy reform, making
electoral arrangements, engaging political parties and raising awareness on
this issue.[1] For
data gathering, prevention, monitoring and policy-making purposes, working in
close partnership with the health sector can contribute to the success of
violence prevention and mitigation strategies. Other specific forms of
gender-based electoral violence, such as homophobic and transphobic harassment
and attacks, have a negative impact on the participation LGBTI persons,
undermining their human rights.
One of the key
publications on this topic is the UNDP and UN Women’s 2017 “Preventing
Violence Against Women in Elections: A Programming Guide”, which
offers an overview about prevention and mitigation strategies against VAWE. With the purpose of illustrating strategies
to fight and prevent VAWE, examples of good practice from different countries
can be found in this section, mostly selected from the UNDP and UN Women’s 2017
guide. [2]
For more information on
this topic, please see related content of the ACE Project, including:
[1] UNDP and UN Women
(2017): “Preventing Violence Against Women in Elections: A Programming Guide”.
