Violence against female politicians in Europe

Across Europe and beyond, women engaged in public life are increasingly facing targeted attacks, with elected officials and women in leadership positions being particularly affected. A new report, covering legislation, protection mechanisms, and data collection, compares the situation in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Hungary, and Ireland. It was developed as part of the 3R project: Recognize, Resist, Rise Up: Tackling Gender-Based Violence against Women in Politics.

Legal gaps and a lack of political will

International agreements such as CEDAW and the Istanbul Convention have set standards, but not all countries are implementing them. The country reports reveal significant shortcomings in national legislation—and in three of the five countries studied, a distinct lack of political will to consistently address the issue or fulfill international obligations. While legal frameworks exist in all these countries, they often fail to integrate effectively. Crucially, violence against women in politics is not recognized as a distinct legal category, which significantly limits the effectiveness of protection.

Institutional responsibility

The active political participation of women can only be sustainably fostered if political parties and public institutions establish clear rules and protection mechanisms. However, the five countries differ significantly in how they address this issue at an institutional level: from the presence or absence of mechanisms to the question of whether and how incidents of violence are investigated, and the implementation of clearly defined sanctions. A common thread across all countries is that female politicians also experience violence from within their own parties or from male colleagues. All five countries highlight a lack of internal support and prevention mechanisms.

Lack of data and digital violence

Although gender-based data collection shows significant gaps in all countries, similar patterns are emerging: the digital space is the primary arena for politically motivated violence against women, and psychological violence—including threats, harassment, and disparagement—is the most widespread form.

Women with a migration background or women of color are particularly at risk, as they frequently experience intersectional discrimination based on factors such as ethnicity, religion, migration history, disability, or sexual orientation. However, systematic data that specifically highlights multiple forms of discrimination is largely missing. All country reports emphasize the need for better, gender-sensitive, and intersectional data collection to develop effective measures.

Withdrawal in all countries

The comparative report also shows that in all countries, politicians are changing their behavior—for example, by speaking out less frequently in public or withdrawing from politics entirely to avoid becoming targets. Many women feel unsafe even at home and fear for their friends and family, as women in local politics are particularly prone to threats against their families. This leads to a reduction in the diversity of opinion and makes those who are already less visible even more so. A lack of diverse perspectives in discourse and fewer women in politics pose a threat to democracy.

Positive developments—but clearly unevenly distributed

The report makes it clear that there are stark differences between the countries: Germany and Ireland have, by comparison, several established measures, strategies, and policy instruments to combat gender-based violence against women in politics. The Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary lag significantly behind in this regard.

More about the 3R project – Recognize, Resist, Rise Up – Tackling Gender-based Violence against Women in Politics

In the project 3R – Recognize, Resist, Rise Up – Tackling Gender-Based Violence against Women in Politics five European organizations—EAF Berlin, Fórum 50% in the Czech Republic, JÓLLÉT Alapítvány in Hungary, Women for Election in Ireland, and Možnosť voľby – Freedom of Choice in Slovakia—are working to improve the protection of female politicians against hate speech and harassment. This includes raising awareness of the issue and improving the safety and participation of politically active women by sharing best practices for combating and protecting against hate speech. The five project partners have produced country reports that capture background information for each nation regarding gender-based violence against female politicians.

More about the 3R project – Recognize, Resist, Rise Up – Tackling Gender-based Violence against Women in Politics

In the project 3R – Recognize, Resist, Rise Up – Tackling Gender-Based Violence against Women in Politics five European organizations—EAF Berlin, Fórum 50% in the Czech Republic, JÓLLÉT Alapítvány in Hungary, Women for Election in Ireland, and Možnosť voľby – Freedom of Choice in Slovakia—are working to improve the protection of female politicians against hate speech and harassment. This includes raising awareness of the issue and improving the safety and participation of politically active women by sharing best practices for combating and protecting against hate speech. The five project partners have produced country reports that capture background information for each nation regarding gender-based violence against female politicians.