Parliamentarians from the Francophonie bloc have called for a policy against sexual harassment among member legislative bodies. 

The MPs, who are members of a women’s network under the Francophonie parliamentary assembly, were on Wednesday, July 6, speaking at the 47th session of the grouping in Kigali. 

The Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie, or the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonies (APF), brings together parliaments from member states of L'Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), a bloc of 88 French-speaking countries globally.

Speaking on Wednesday, members of the women’s caucus of APF, known as le Le réseau des femmes parlementaires (network of women parliamentarians), cited findings from a 2016 study by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), which painted a damning picture of the conditions under which many women parliamentarians worked as a result of sexual harassment.

According to the report, dubbed, ‘Sexism, harassment and violence against women parliamentarians’, 81.8 per cent of respondents experienced psychological harassment, of which 44.4 per cent experienced death threats, rape, beatings or kidnapping during their parliamentary term. 

It also showed that 65% of parliamentarians had been subjected to humiliating sexist remarks, 21.8 per cent experienced acts of sexual violence, with 25.5 per cent facing physical violence.

The study covered Europe and Africa.  

Maryse Gaudreault, the president of APF’s women’s network, said that because sexual harassment is a sensitive issue in society many victims suffer in silence. 

She said it was critical for the Francophonie parliaments to adopt a policy against sexual harassment, adding that a draft was to be presented to the assembly Friday. 

Sexual harassment issues were a major factor in some women not completing their terms in office, she noted. 

The study indicated that sexual harassment caused 46.7 per cent of victims to fear for their safety and that of their loved ones, while it upset 66.7% of women that faced it.

It also showed that up to 38.7 per cent of victims questioned their ability to carry out their mandate and to freely express their opinion. 

Veneranda Nyirahirwa, a Rwandan Member of Parliament and chairperson of the standing committee on Unity, Human Rights and Fight Against Genocide, said many countries lacked legislation on gender based violence, adding that this was a challenge in itself.

"Some cultures make it hard to even address this issue, partly explaining the disturbing figures,” Nyirahirwa, who participated in the IPU research, said.  

She called for greater sensitisation around sexual harassment, including among women parliamentarians.

Euthalie Nyirabega, another MP from Rwanda, said interventions should not stop at responding to cases of violence and harassment, but should encompass prevention as well. 

"It is a general problem that needs everyone’s attention,” she said.

It was not immediately clear whether there had been any recorded case of sexual harassment involving a Rwandan legislator. 

"Everyone should be able to go to work and to deliver their responsibilities peacefully, without being made uncomfortable by anyone,” Nyirabega said, adding that if women are harassed in their place of work they can hardly maximise their potential. 

Participants also discussed the impact of climate change on women and girls, as well as the role of the sociopolitical environment in relation to women empowerment. 

The network of women parliamentarians across the Francophonie seeks to promote greater participation of women in their countries’ political, cultural and socioeconomic aspects.

About 300 delegates are attending the meeting.