Women Members of Parliament in Slovakia and Gender-Based Violence: A Democracy with a Male Face?

This report is part of the international project 3R: Recognize, Resist, Rise Up: Tackling Gender-Based Violence against Women in Politics, implemented by a consortium of five European organizations: Women for Election Ireland (IE), EAF Berlin (DE), Možnosť voľby (SK), JÓL-LÉT Alapítvány (HU), and Fórum 50% (CZ). The authors of the research report are Adriana Mesochoritisová and Kristína Gotthardová.

The research confirmed that violence against women in politics represents a serious social and structural problem in Slovakia:

• it fundamentally influences and shapes the lives of female politicians and their loved ones and has broader consequences for society as a whole;
• it contributes to women leaving politics prematurely;
• it prevents them from exercising their right to participate in the management of public affairs;
• and, last but not least, it also threatens democracy itself.

The low participation of women means that we live in a “democracy with a male face”—in its incomplete and distorted form.

It is important that we do not tolerate such violence and do not support a culture of silence surrounding it. Female politicians must be able to carry out their duties without violence or coercion. They must have access to protection, the ability to speak out, and the means to report cases of violence, and society must be capable of stopping it and holding those who commit gender-based violence accountable. It is clear that such systemic change requires a combination of tools, including support for equality not only in politics but in all areas of life.

In the next phases of the project, we will develop a set of more detailed measures to change the situation; for now, we present a summary of the most important ones:

• For effective prevention, it is crucial to adopt comprehensive measures, including changes to legislative standards, the establishment of clear rules and sanctions for violence, the creation of new and the revision of existing codes of ethics (particularly the code of ethics for members of the National Council of the Slovak Republic), educating politicians about gender-based violence and its prevention, including education on sexual harassment.
• Parliament, the government, and individual political parties must adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward violence and sexual harassment. It is essential that men be involved in solutions and prevention programs. Media involvement is also necessary.
• It is important that all institutions and agencies, as well as other helping professions involved in addressing violence, have sufficient knowledge about this type of violence and are able to address it effectively and without prejudice. In addition to establishing mechanisms and rules, education can be particularly helpful in this regard.
• At the level of parliament and political parties, it is necessary to establish an independent mechanism for reporting and investigating violence and harassment that preserves confidentiality and anonymity. Female politicians experiencing violence must be provided with protection, professional support, and counseling.
• Alarming data on online violence should draw attention to the need to regulate social media content and call for technology companies to take responsibility for stopping online violence, or for their coordinated involvement in the development and implementation of measures. In this context, it is crucial to successfully implement Directive (EU) 2024/1385 on combating violence against women and domestic violence, which comprehensively addresses the issue of online violence, defines specific criminal offenses in the digital space, and establishes rules for their effective prosecution.

An essential prerequisite for ending violence against female politicians is eliminating its root cause, which is gender inequality and the discrimination associated with it, persistent gender stereotypes, and the gender bias of institutions, including political parties and parliament. Women and men must be guaranteed the right to participate jointly and equally in decision-making, as well as in the governance and development of our country. And to share equally in the benefits of development and life in a democracy. Gender equality is precisely the prerequisite for a life free from discrimination, questioning, exclusion, and fear of violence.

You can read the full report here:

3R_Research report_Women members of Parliament and gender-based violence in Slovakia

This project is co-funded by the European Union.