Comparative report: Findings on gender-based violence experienced by women parliamentarians

This report is part of the international project 3R: Recognize, Resist, Rise Up: Tackling Gender-Based Violence against Women in Politics, which is being implemented by a consortium of five European organizations: Women for Election Ireland (IE), EAF Berlin (DE), Možnosť voľby (SK), JÓL-LÉT Alapítvány (HU), and chaired by the Czech organization Fórum 50 %.

Comparative analysis across the five participating countries – Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Ireland and Slovakia – highlights that violence against women in politics is not isolated, episodic or context-specific but rather it is
systemic, pervasive, and embedded across the five democracies. While political systems, levels of women’s representation, and institutional frameworks differ between countries, the findings reveal a striking commonality: gender-based political violence is experienced by the vast majority of women parliamentarians, particularly psychological and online violence. The incidence of online abuse, combined with high levels of psychological and sexualised violence, underlines that such experiences are not exceptional but constitute a routine feature of women’s political participation.

The data shows that psychological and online violence are near-universal experiences among women parliamentarians, with prevalence rates exceeding 90% in most of the countries studied. Sexualised violence is also highly prevalent, while economic and physical violence, though less common, play a distinct and critical role in undermining women’s ability to exercise their mandates. In particular, economic violence emerges as a strategic mechanism of exclusion, targeting the material conditions necessary for political participation, while physical violence functions as a deterrent force, extending its impact beyond direct victims to shape the behaviour of others, including family and staff.

At the same time, the research highlights a critical paradox at the heart of the relationship between prevalence and reporting

The most widespread forms of violence – particularly online and psychological violence – are the least likely to be reported, while the less prevalent – such as physical or economic violence – are most likely to trigger formal action. This inverse relationship reflects a process of normalisation whereby repeated exposure lowers expectations of redress and erodes trust in institutional responses. Ultimately this contributes to the long-term underrepresentation of women in politics.

The absence of dedicated, accessible, and trusted institutional mechanisms across all five countries is a key finding of this report

Even where reporting channels exist, they are often fragmented, inconsistent, or perceived as ineffective. In some contexts, particularly where abuse is perpetrated from within the political system itself, reporting can be not only futile but inconceivable. This systemic gap shifts the burden of managing violence onto women parliamentarians themselves, leaving them to manage risk individually and often at great personal, professional, and financial cost.

The consequences of violence against women in politics extend beyond individual harm. The research shows evidence of self-censorship, modified behaviours, and a reduction in and even withdrawal from public engagement demonstrating a clear chilling effect on political participation. In this way violence functions not only as a form of personal attack but as a mechanism of democratic exclusion, limiting whose voices are heard, whose perspectives are represented, and ultimately, how democracy operates.

The report points to the need for a fundamental shift in how violence against women in politics is understood and addressed.

It must be recognised not only as an individual or gender equality issue, but as a broader structural democratic and institutional challenge requiring coordinated and systemic responses. The persistence and normalisation of such violence directly affects women’s political representation, limits equal access to political participation, and weakens the inclusiveness, legitimacy, and resilience of democratic
institutions.

Overall, the findings highlight an urgent need for coherent, enforceable, and gender-sensitive institutional responses at both national and European levels, including accessible reporting mechanisms, effective protection frameworks, ethical standards, and safe reporting pathways within parliamentary environments. Addressing violence against women in politics therefore requires moving beyond ad hoc or reactive measures towards long-term systemic interventions and strengthened accountability mechanisms, including addressing the online environment as a primary site of harm. Without such measures, the persistence of gender-based political violence will continue to undermine not only women’s equal participation, but democracy itself.

3R_Comparative report_Findings on gender-based violence experienced by women parliamentarians

This project is co-funded by the European Union.