Violence Against Women in Elections

IFES is concerned about the gendering of violence in elections, and that current research and practice in contentious elections is not adequate to understand or document this phenomenon. Women are targeted in election violence at higher rates than male counterparts, especially as political candidates. In many incidents it is clear that women are often being targeted not necessarily related to their political actions or affiliations, but simply because they are women. IFES’ paper will present findings, including an analytical framework that reflects the gender differences in electoral violence involving women and how these affect women’s participation in the electoral process as voters, candidates, activists and political party leaders. IFES acknowledges the complex mix of relationships, violence types and spaces that sets VAWiE apart and makes it difficult to assess and track, which in turn makes such targeted violence potentially quite effective in deterring women’s full political participation. The paper will also describe assessment, monitoring, and intervention tools (activities) developed from the framework, which can stand alone or become an integral part of ongoing electoral work. The paper will also include recommendations and tools to ensure that programming addresses the impact of election-related violence on women. Equitable contribution of women in political processes is not only of prime importance in ensuring a balanced representation of the needs and concerns of democratic societies, but it also increases credibility of political infrastructures. According to the 2012 IFES Global Survey of Women’s Organizations conducted in 29 countries across the world, women surveyed cited “cultural beliefs/social attitudes/patriarchal mentality” as the number one factor obstructing advancement in women’s participation. In addition to direct physical violence experienced at home and in public that women experience as a matter of course, the centralized nature of political structures themselves, which privileges masculinity and the role of men as political (and economic) decision-makers, limits women’s opportunities to participate in formal governance structures. Additionally, for every public violent incident known and recorded, there are more incidents happening behind closes doors and in private, with scant documentation and, worse, without adequate services to respond to survivors’ needs and due process for perpetrators. These private incidents, as well as more public incidents no doubt discourage and prevent women from participating in the electoral process. Research for this project has included a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods, combining existing data collected by IFES in nearly a dozen countries with new data collected in Bangladesh and Kenya from focus groups, interviews and lessons learned from a pilot project of the tools.