Violence against women in politics is a human rights violation, a barrier to women’s political participation, and a serious challenge to democracy, peace and security of the OSCE participating States. There is a need to respond to and eradicate its different manifestation in all areas of political life.

The 2018 OSCE Ministerial Council Decision on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women acknowledges that “women engaged in professional activities with public exposure... are likely to be exposed to specific forms of violence or abuse, threats, and harassment, in relation to their work”. It also “encourage(s) all relevant actors, including those involved in the political process, to contribute to preventing and combating all forms of violence against women, including those engaged in professional activities with public exposure and/or in the interest of society, by, inter alia, raising the issue in public debates, and developing awareness-raising initiatives and other appropriate measures, also considering the chilling impact of such violence on young women.”

This Toolkit for Addressing Violence against Women in Politics in the OSCE Region aims to raise awareness and strengthen the knowledge and capacities of OSCE participating States towards effective measures for addressing and responding to this type of violence. It offers five separate tools:

ODIHR’s Toolkit for Addressing Violence Against Women in Politics in the OSCE Region

• Tool 1 – the Introduction defines violence against women in politics and describes solutions for effective prevention, protection of victims, the prosecution of perpetrators and coordination of policies.
• Tool 2 - for Parliaments provides data and examples of promising practices to guide parliaments towards measures which address violence against women in parliaments and beyond.
• Tool 3 - for Political Parties assists political parties in taking internal steps to tackle violence against women within their structures.
• Tool 4 - for Civil Society explores the role that civil society and women’s movements can play in combating violence against women in politics.
• Tool 5 - for Women in Politics is a guide for women affected directly or indirectly by such violence about how to seek protection, remedy and support.