The need for the media to be gender sensitive in reporting electoral issues ahead of the 2019 general elections and change the negative stereotyping of female politicians, was the pivot of a one-day seminar held in Lagos by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its partners.

“The forthcoming elections is a decisive turning point for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), because if we really do have these elections despite the fact that it has long dragged out, it will be the first democratic transition ever in the DRC”  –Justine Masika Bihamba, founder of Synergie des femmes pour les victimes des violences sexuelles (Synergie of Women for Victims of Sexual Violence; SFVS), a member of the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP).

Money is a necessary component of the democratic process, enabling the expression of political support as well as competition in elections. At the same time, if the funding of political parties and election campaigns are not effectively regulated, money could also undermine the integrity of processes and institutions of political participation and representation.

Women MPs discuss bullying, harassment and other misconduct during a public panel discussion to mark 125 years of suffrage.

Labour’s Ruth Dyson spoke about receiving death threats, as did the Greens’ Golriz Ghahraman, who remembered someone saying: “It’s time to load our shotguns.” New Zealand First’s Jenny Marcroft was at a politicians’ dinner where she was told to take her top off.

Two powerful women – Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia – have dominated Bangladeshi politics for decades, but the South Asian country's women are still underrepresented in parliament and are politically marginalized.

Nazla Ibtesham, an 18-year-old student, was hugely disappointed when election officials turned down her voter ID due to some "technical issues." She and her friends wanted to make their voice heard in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

NEW DELHI(Thomson Reuters Foundation) - From media to sports and business, a wave of #MeToo revelations has rocked India this year, but the movement has left the country’s male-dominated politics largely untouched - and that needs to change, activists say.

Men rule the roost in the world’s largest democracy, where analysts and activists say harassment and exploitation of women are rife, including demands for sexual favors and character assassination.

By Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano,

The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, has challenged Nigerian women to vote for leaders whose electoral campaign prioritises promotion of women welfare and detest abuse against women in the society.