16 days of activism to end gender-based violence in the OSCE region: the role of parliamentarians
By Hedy Fry, OSCE PA Special Representative on Gender Issues
Gender-based violence, regrettably, continues to plague the OSCE region and globally. As the OSCE PA Special Representative on Gender Issues, this year as every year, I join the global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. Gender-based violence is the most prominent expression of gender inequality and a highly disturbing phenomenon that has not been eliminated in a single country. It affects the lives of thousands of women and girls internationally. Throughout this year’s campaign, I encourage us all to reflect on the ways in which different forms of gender-based violence affects different groups and on how we, as parliamentarians, can support survivors.
UNODC reports that nearly 89,000 women and girls were killed worldwide in 2022. It is the highest yearly number recorded in the past two decades. In that year, around 48,800 women and girls were killed by their intimate partners or other family members. While these numbers are shocking, because few countries collect adequate data on gender-related killings, the actual numbers are probably higher than official statistics suggest. It is also important to stress that domestic violence is not a private or family matter. It is a public issue that should be addressed through public policies and legislation.
Gender-based violence is not limited to domestic violence. For instance, women in the public sphere — especially women politicians and journalists — continue to experience gender-based violence in the context of their work. IPU’s 2016 survey showed that 81.8% of women parliamentarians had been subjected to psychological violence, while around 44.4% reported being threatened with death, rape, beatings and kidnapping. One of the most common types of gender-based violence women politicians and journalists face is online violence. For 20% of women journalists, as a recent UNESCO survey highlights, such online threats have turned into physical attacks.
The violence against women journalists and parliamentarians further exacerbates inequality, as young women self-censor or choose to stay away from political careers and the public sphere to avoid being targets of online and offline attacks. IPU data for October 2023 shows that the global average of women in national parliaments is only 26.7%, with an average of 30% in the OSCE region. Despite the progress made in advancing gender equality, women continue to remain a minority in the political sphere.
As parliamentarians, we have the power and duty to continue our fight against gender-based violence. It is especially important to focus our efforts on addressing its impacts on the most vulnerable groups, such as transgender and gender-diverse individuals, who experience shocking amounts of discrimination and are more likely to experience gender-based violence. Women from racial, ethnic or religious minorities, those from different socioeconomic backgrounds, with diverse sexual orientations, as well as migrants, refugees or displaced women also face disproportionate risks. Our actions to fight gender-based violence must be intersectional to be effective and reach those most in need.
At the 30th OSCE PA Annual Session in Vancouver this summer, parliamentarians from the OSCE region adopted the Resolution on the Gendered Consequences of Armed Conflicts, focusing on the gendered consequences of wars. The resolution makes recommendations to address — through a survivor-centred approach — the increased risks of sexual and gender-based violence faced by vulnerable groups. For instance, it is especially important that our commitment to protect forcibly displaced women is equally applied in all the OSCE areas affected by conflicts.
As the OSCE PA Special Representative on Gender Issues, I call on the OSCE participating States to respect their commitments to gender equality and the elimination of gender-based violence. I urge my fellow parliamentarians to develop or review existing legislation to work towards gender equality in their countries. I commend civil society and other stakeholders that promote gender equality in the OSCE region for their advocacy, and for the vital support they provide to survivors of gender-based violence. Lastly, now more than ever, I encourage national authorities and legislators, civil society and international organizations to come together and act in unity to advance gender equality across the OSCE region and end gender-based violence.
