Violence Against Women in Politics

“The problem is that when a woman is attacked, she gets attacked for her character, but never for her policymaking,” Union minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani.

Women’s political participation remains low, with women occupying only a quarter of parliamentary seats around the world.

The current Lok Sabha (2019-2024) has the highest-ever representation of women Members of Parliament at any point in India, with 78 MPs in the 545-member House (around 14 per cent).

The rise of the information society, predominantly sculpted by modern technologies, has blurred the lines between our online and offline lives.

Violence against women in politics (VAWIP) is an urgent problem worldwide. At the time of this writing, U.S.

“I faced so much violence on Facebook”, she said. “I am separated from my husband, so people could say unimaginable things using [pseudonymous] accounts, to me and my family. It was just chaotic.”

A University of Galway academic, Associate Professor Tom Felle, has called for laws, hefty fines and criminal action to be taken against social media companies who ‘fail to tackle cyber violence against women’.

Female politicians who show strength are seen as “aggressive harridans” while male counterparts are seen as “brilliant”, according to Theresa May.