International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women: End Electoral Gender Based Violence

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women:

End Electoral Gender Based Violence

On this International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Gender Concerns International stands in solidarity with all of those who are addressing the issue of violence against women across the globe and supports the campaign Orange the World: #16Days of Activism.

Today we reaffirm our commitment to draw attention to Electoral Violence, the most neglected form of gender based violence. Electoral violence is associated with democratic electoral processes and often ignored by Election Management Bodies and Domestic and International Election Observers.

Women`s participation in elections as voters, campaigners, candidates and managers is often confronted by harassment, intimidation, defamation, and physical abuse. Violence is used as a tool for forced resignations of female candidates and in the assassinations of women politicians.

Despite severe consequences of electoral violence that impact the scope of women`s political participation, so far very narrow attention has been drawn to this issue. For the last 18 years Gender Concerns International has been engaged in addressing violence against women in pre and post-election periods.

Gender Concerns International through its Gender Election Observation Missions (GEOM), program observed various elections in countries including Pakistan, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, Myanmar and the Netherlands, promoting electoral gender parity. Addressing electoral violence against women remains a core focus of the GEOM tool.

Today, Gender Concerns International reaffirms its commitment to continue drawing attention to electoral violence and welcomes the opportunity to work closely with those who wish to come forward against gender-based electoral violence.