Despite limited data,
research suggests that VAWE is present across all countries and regions.
Mapping and collecting data about VAWE is a critical step for its mitigation
and prevention, since it contributes to assess women’s participation in
elections, assists in the identification of hotspots and patterns of violence,
and facilitates the implementation of prevention and response measures. Country
specific and regional assessments can help better understand the nature, causes
and implications of VAWE, through both quantitative and qualitative research
methodologies. VAWE mappings can also be conducted by EMBs or be integrated as
part of broader security assessments carried out by civil society and other
organizations. The sensitive nature of this issue and the unwillingness of
survivors to testify pose major limitations to data gathering in this area.[1]
Gathering data on VAWE
can be quite challenging, since general methodological frameworks to assess
VAW, such as the Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDG) global indicators or the
United Nations Statistics Commission’s core VAW indicators, often lack specific
measures for the political dimension. A wide range of indicators have been
proposed to measure VAWE, including both quantitative measurements, such as
frequency of incidents or types of attacks, as well as qualitative indicators.
Ideally, measurements of VAWE should consider VAWE prevalence (i.e. proportion
of victims among general population), VAWE incidence (i.e. number of incidents
over a determined period of time) and targeted periods (such as a specific
stage of the election cycle or over a long period of time). Crowd-sourced data
and open-source data visualization tools can provide an effective platform to
track VAWE incidents.[2]
Example: In Pakistan, UN Women carried out a study in 2016 on
challenges to women’s political participation, with a major focus on violence
against women in the electoral process. The study aimed to identify the types
of VAWE in order to encourage adequate policy measures and legal reform,
engaging the Election Commission of Pakistan and other key stakeholders.[3]
Example: In Latin America, UN Women’s Training Centre in the
Dominican Republic developed a research project on violence against women in
politics to support the implementation of the 2007 Quito Consensus for women’s
empowerment. The project included four studies and mapping of political
violence in Costa Rica (2011), El Salvador (2012), Ecuador (2012) and Bolivia
(2012), contributing to develop theoretical and methodological frameworks to
address this issue.[4]
Example: In India, Nepal and Pakistan, UN Women and the Centre for
Social Research (India) conducted a regional study on violence against women in
politics in 2014 to understand the extent and motivations behind violence
against women in politics and elections. It also aimed at raising awareness by
identifying and disseminating good practices for mitigation through a
consultative workshop.[5]
Example: In Tanzania, the local civil society organization Tanzania
Women Cross Party Platform (TWCP) collected data on VAWE before, during and
after the 2015 general elections, with support from UN Women. TWCP deployed
more than 50 trained VAWE monitors across the country, aided by NEC regional election
coordinators and equipped with monitoring checklists and questionnaires. VAWE
monitors attended a total of 530 election-related events to observe women’s
participation and occurrence of VAWE. They also held structured interviews with
a total of 1,532 respondents, including women and men voters, local leaders and
influential community members, as well as women candidates for parliamentary
and local elections. According to the findings, 69 percent of consulted women
candidates reported abusive language, verbal harassment and insults, 17 percent
said they had been physically attacked and 13 percent reported demands for
sexual favors. Among female respondents, 53 percent declared not voting because
of fear of violence, lacking voter cards or pressure from their spouse.[6]
Example: In Zimbabwe, IFES conducted a VAWE
assessment in the framework of the 2018 electoral process. Its
findings showed that women candidates were at the forefront of VAWE, facing
intense psychosocial violence, especially attacks on their moral probity and
occasional physical violence. Intra-party abuse and violence are widespread and
the generalized risk of electoral violence deters women from attending
political rallies and events. Extensive online intimidation and harassment
degrades and deters political women and aspirants.[7]
Example: In Haiti, IFES conducted a VAWE pilot assessment during the
2016 electoral process. Its findings showed that endemic electoral violence,
particularly on Election Day, deters women’s participation. Women face
physical, psychological and financial violence hindering their participation,
in a male-dominated political context with weak party and judicial systems.[8]
Example: In Bangladesh, IFES conducted a
study in 2016 aiming to analyze the effects of violence on women’s
participation in politics and elections. Its findings showed that the country’s
violent political culture hampers the participation of women. Many women
experience psychological violence within the household, including intimidation
and harassment. Women candidates are often victims of sexual violence and their
access to financial resources is frequently withheld. Some women are
perpetrators of electoral violence and use it to limit voter choice within the
home and slander other candidates in the public space.[9]
[1] UNDP and UN Women
(2017): op. cit., p. 49-61.
[2] UNDP and UN Women
(2017): op. cit., p. 49-61.
[3] UNDP and UN Women
(2017): op. cit., p. 50.
[4] UNDP and UN Women
(2017): op. cit., p. 50.
[5] UNDP and UN Women
(2017): op. cit., p. 51.
[6] UNDP and UN Women
(2017): op. cit., p. 59.
[8] IFES (2016): “Violence
Against Women in Elections in Zimbabwe: Pilot Assessment in Haiti”.
