At the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) assembly in Kigali, women lawmakers have highlighted the need for safer parliaments free of sexism, harassment and violence of various forms.
According to a survey conducted by the IPU, women lawmakers across the world have been targets of violence, sexism and sexual harassment at the hands of their male colleagues.
During the Forum of Women Parliamentarians at the 145th IPU assembly, which started on Tuesday, October 11, delegates said the ‘thorny issues’ facing women MPs need to be addressed.
"Sometimes, we don’t believe it, but discrimination also happens inside our own parliaments,” Duarte Pacheco, the IPU president, said on Tuesday, as he addressed the assembly.
Women lawmakers make 26 per cent of parliaments globally.
According to the IPU survey, over 85% of women MPs in Europe face psychological violence; while in Africa 40 of surveyed women MPs were sexually harassed. Globally, 25 % of women MPs faced physical violence.
"We found out even more worrying evidence that violence against women MPs is perpetrated by their male colleagues inside our own parliaments,” Pacheco said.
"Such violence targeting women leaders is part of a structural tactic of men to dominate and silence women and get them out of decision making and leadership. But we won't let this tactic work and we know what needs to be done.”
The IPU assembly is convening under the theme "Gender equality and gender-sensitive parliaments as drivers of change for a more resilient and peaceful world.”
Pacheco said having gender-sensitive parliaments is a key strategy for women’s full participation and for equality between men and women.
Senate vice president Esperance Nyirasafari, who was elected to preside over the 34th forum of women parliamentarians, said the women MPs have to debate and "highlight the thorny issue of discrimination against women, sexism harassment and violence against women in parliaments.”
Reflecting on the international day of the girl, which was marked on Monday, Nyirasafari said: "This session takes place within the context of an event of great importance, which is the international day of the girl. As a woman and as female leaders, we must lead by example and be an inspiration for women and girls across the world.”
Quoting President Paul Kagame, Nyirasafari said: "Women and men are equal in terms of ability and dignity. So, women and men must also be equal in terms of opportunity. This is not just a human right, but also common sense. No one benefits when women are held back, we have to change mindsets and not just laws.”
According to Zeina Hilal, the secretary of the IPU, even among the delegates at the Kigali assembly women participants are a minority.
As of Monday there were 101 delegations at the Kigali assembly, each with two people or more. 15 delegations were male only, three were all female.
"There are 35.3 per cent of women participating in this 145th assembly. This proportion is a bit lower than the one we had at the last assembly which stood at 38.9 per cent. Let's hope that by the end of this assembly we will have reached 38.9 per cent or more women attending,” Hilal said.