Political Violence against Women and Democratic Backsliding: A High-level Dialogue among States, Leaders and International Mechanisms (CSW70 Side Event)

Good afternoon.

It.

Good afternoon.

At last, Excellencies.

No, excuse me. It's not working very well, the sound. So we need to silence these Excellencies, Colleagues, distinguished guests, I would like to welcome you to today's high level event on political violence and democratic backsliding on the margins of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. On behalf of the mission of Greece, I would like to thank Club de Madrid for co organizing this event with us, as well as the missions of Armenia, Panama, Kenya and the platform of Independent Expert mechanism to end discrimination and violence against women for co sponsoring this event. A special thanks to the UN women and IT Executive Director, Her Excellency Seema Bahuz, who has been kind enough to greet our event despite her very busy schedule.

She will attend the meeting later on. We are also deeply honored that Her Excellency Michelle Bachelet, former President of Chile, vice President of the Club of de Madrid and candidate for the position of the next UN Secretary General, is our keynote speaker. I have to confess, I have worked as an ambassador to Chile under the presidency of Michel Bachelet, and it was a very good time for me because she had the lead of a very proud and good country.

I would also like to thank and welcome all our distinguished panelists. Before I yield the floor to our speakers, allow me to offer some reflections on the profound significance of today's topic. Political violence against women is distinct from general political violence due to its gender motivations and impact. It doesn't just target a politician for their ideas, it targets a woman in politics to reinforce traditional power structures. While this violence manifests in physical, psychological, sexual and economic forms, the digital era has introduced new amplified risks through social media and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.

Online harassment driven by AI generated deep fakes, hate speech and misogynistic rhetoric. Disinformation campaigns and coordinated character assassination are increasingly being used against female politicians to make the cost of public life too high for women to bear. The goal of this violence is rarely about winning a single election. It is about deterrence. It is about instilling fear to drive women out of the political sphere.

Ultimately, it is about silencing their voices. This has, of course, a chilling effect on democracy and the rule of law, with the issue of gender equality becoming politicized and igniting ideological wars. Today we will Hear directly from from distinguished leaders who offer firsthand insights into these challenges. We will also engage with the platform of the Council of Europe dedicated to eradicating discrimination and gender based violence. Most importantly, we will share ideas on how to end this violence and create more democratic, inclusive and equitable societies.

Without further ado, I will give the floor to President Bachelet for those powerful messages and for the note of hope on which you are going to speak. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Ambassador. I think that when we speak about. For me, political violence has become a very important issue. I had lived at being the president, being a minister, not physical violence, but even though not only about me, but about my daughters as well.

Fake news about them, accusing them of a lot of things. So it's not only what affects the women that is in politics, but also her whole family. But when we speak, as you were mentioning, about political violence against women, we're not describing an accidental or merely cultural phenomenon. We are speaking about power and systemic barriers that prevent women from participating, and in many contexts, about the use of violence as a mechanism to preserve privilege and restrict democratic rights.

It is true. In various countries, political violence against women has been tolerated, minimized and even instrumentalized as a tool of political competition. When threats, harassment, digital and physical, the disinformation campaigns or sexist attacks seek to expel women from public life, what is at stake is not only their individual security, but the very integrity of the democratic system. Because the democracy in which women participate under threat is not a real democracy. Now, in response to whether we are being sufficiently firm, we must offer an honest answer.

Undoubtedly, we have made progress, but still not enough. In recent years, we have witnessed significant normative advances in Latin America. Several countries have adopted specific laws recognizing and sanctioning political violence against women, making visible a reality that for decades remained hidden. In my home country, Chile passed a comprehensive law against violence Against Women in 2024, but a bill that I had introduced during my second administration. It took 10 years to be able to approve it.

Such legislation is often complex, but deeply necessary. The work of the Inter American Commission of Women has been key in advancing regional standards and supporting legislative reform. In Fortaleza, Brazil, there was this meeting where there was like a model for developing legislation on digital violence at the international level. The platform of independent expert mechanism to end discrimination and violence against women has contributed to comparative analysis, technical guidance and joint statements that strengthen the coherence of the human rights system. These advances matter because naming the problem is the first act of transformation.

For a long time, political Violence against women was trivialized as part of the cost of. Of joint politics excluda Madrid with UN women and others. We did a workshop last year in Montevideo with mayors, with governors and so on. And some of them were telling me, look, when I denounce these threats and so on, my colleagues from my own party tell me, oh, in politics you don't have to cry, this is normal, you are too weak, you need to. So that's a real problem.

Even political parties from those representatives don't support and don't give all the, I would say the accompanying the company and help to respond to this. And that woman, I have to tell you, was a very strong mayor. So it's not what it was really, but she was under terrible attacks. So this we know and we said clearly it cannot be an inevitable cost. It is a violation of rights and a structural threat to democracy.

We have also seen progress in parity and representation. More women than ever hold parliamentary, ministerial and municipal positions in our region, but also in the world. I mean, I think Rwanda is the country who has more parliamentary, more women in parliament in the world, but also in Latin America we have countries with 50, 50% and strong percentage. And paradoxically, that progress has generated reactions. Every advance toward equality tends to provoke resistance.

It should not surprise us, therefore, that increased female participation has in some context, being accompanied by an increase of violence, specifically targeting women leaders. But I want to score this with conviction. We're not facing this backlash without responses, we are building them. One of the most significant transformations has been the creation of networks. Networks of women politicians who, beyond ideological differences, understand that gender based political bias does not distinguish between parties sorority, that active solidarity among women has become a tool of democratic resilience.

When one woman is attacked, more and more women are raising their voices, documenting, denouncing and standing in solidarity. These networks are relevant in the digital sphere, where virus has become more sophisticated. Coordinated disinformation campaign, online harassment and hate speech seek to isolate and silence in our response. We need stronger regulatory frameworks and greater accountability from technology platforms, but also support communities, protection protocols and digital security training. One other thing, I've been in some workshop on this regard and one of the things you have to learn is when to respond and when not to respond.

Because sometimes it's a little various, little media and then if you respond, you escalate the problem. So we as women need to learn how to do it better, how to respond, but when it's needed and not when it's not needed. Some other Jacinda Arden was Mentioning that, for example, she didn't read all the things that they spoke about against her because she needed to be dynamic and so on. So her team will read it and then if there's something really important, they will tell her, I don't know. Some people love to read everything.

Some people prefer to avoid it and not have huge headache. So I think at the same time, I think we must strengthen broader alliances. One of the good things of networks between women in politics is that we can build alliances, that we can share experiences, what work, what doesn't work, that we can also support those women, in particular younger women, because some of us that has, as I said, I cumulative youth. We already have gone through many things, but women who are starting many times, they said, I wouldn't do this again. And they start leaving politics because of that.

So we need to support everyone, but particularly also young women. And the response cannot fall exclusively on women. We also need the active engagement of men and institutions. And they're not many, but thank for the men who are here today, because this has to be an active engagement of everyone. Political parties bear direct responsibility.

They must adopt clear codes of conduct, internal complaint mechanisms and effective sanctions. Electoral bodies must integrate the prevention of political violence into the regulation and procedures. Judicial system must act with due diligence. Multilateral organizations also play an indispensable role. Alliances among state, regional mechanisms and regional networks, such as the one we are advancing from CRU de Madrid in collaboration with UN women.

We're going to launch an inter via regional, if I would say Ivan American Network of Women Politics and next Thursday at 12 o' clock.

That will allow us, as I said before, to share good practices, generate also political pressure and support those operating in adverse contexts. International cooperation can be decisive when national institutions are weak or captured by extreme polarization dynamics. The question of political cost is crucial. When states fail to prevent or sanction, they send a signal of permissiveness and that permissiveness erodes democratic illegitimacy. We must move towards systems in which tolerance for violence carries clear consequences, from administrative but also electoral sanctions to political and reputational accountability.

But I would like to close on a note of hope, because as Desmond Tutu once said, I am too a prisoner of hope. We need to feel that we can advance. Hope is something really important for all of us. Throughout my political life, I have seen how what once seemed immovable could change when collective will was present. Decades ago, women's political participation was seen as exceptional.

Today it is a widely recognized democratic principle. The same will happen with political violence, we are moving from denial to visibility, from tolerance to accountability. We cannot have a real democracy if we leave half of the population out of it. Democracy is weakened when women are pushed out. Women cannot participate under threat.

And this historical moment teaches us anything. It is that the defence of gender equality and the defence of democracy are inseparable. There will be no equality without strong institutions, strategic alliances and solidarity networks capable of sustaining progress. We are of course on risk of going backwards because what we have to know is that every time we advance the there will be forces trying to go backwards. And we need to be strong and brave and know that that is a reality.

The task is great, but we're not starting from zero. We have normative frameworks, international platforms, regional experiences, and above all, a generation of women leaders unwilling to step back. And when women move forward together, democracies move forward with them. And even though it's a little bit late, happy International Women's Day. And I think that can be something important because for me it was so good I was here.

But to see so many huge demonstrations around the world for women saying we're not going to go backwards, we're going to fight for what we have been able to gain and we're going to do as much altogether. And that's my main message. We can all together do the best for women who dare to go in politics. Thank you.

Thank you, President Bachelet. And you know, I hear you when you say that we have to name the problem. It's very important because when a man politician runs for office, it's the politician that runs for office. When a woman politician runs for office, it's the wife, the spinster, the mother. I don't know how many qualifications we'll attribute to her.

But it's not purely the politicians. So we have to redress this problem. And thank you for your comments. And now it's my pleasure to give the floor to our panelists. And I will start with Ms. Anderi.

To Commissioner of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission of Kenya. Madam, you have the floor. Thank you.

Thank you, your excellencies and the participant and everybody present.

The women in politics, just like any other country in Kenya, face the same problem that we are discussing today. Kenya recognizes that women's safe and equal participation in politics is central to the strength and legitimacy of our elections and our democracy. The Constitution of Kenya 2010 provides a strong foundation by guaranteeing equality and non discrimination under the Article 27 and protecting political rights under Article 38 while also requiring that election be free from violence and intimidation under Article 81 of the Constitution of Kenya. However, we acknowledge that legal guarantees alone are not enough and the challenges lies in ensuring effective implementation. The government is therefore pursuing several measures to ensure that we move towards eradication of violence against women.

The first thing is strengthening enforcement of the law through the Elections act and Elections Offences framework. Violence, intimation and harassment during elections are crime criminal offences. The government has criminalized this to protect the rights of women and to allow women participate in elections. Government agencies including the Electoral management body and the security services are working to improve reporting mechanism accountability for perpetrators of electoral Jeddah based violence once reported this mechanism that has been set in place of which action should be taken against perpetrators. 2.

The Government of Kenya also is engaging political parties as gatekeepers of inclusion. It is well known in Kenya that majority of the candidates to get into the ballot paper get through the political party and therefore the Political Parties act requires political parties to promote gender equity and inclusion within their leadership and candidate nominations. Compliance with this requirement is increasingly linked to eligibility for public funding, encouraging parties to create safer and more supportive environment for women candidates. Actually in Kenya, 15% of political parties fund is given based on the number of women candidates that a political party bring on board after elections. So this incentive to promote inclusion of women in the political party as candidates.

The other measures that Kenya is taking is institutional oversight and monitoring. Institutions such as the National Gender Inequality Commission monitor compliance with gender equality provisions and advocacy for implementation of two third gender principle. These institutions also provide avenues for reporting discrimination and political violence. Kenya is also addressing emerging forms of violence in including the online abuse.

Recognizing the growing threat of online harassment and disinformation targeting women politicians, the government and partners are exploring strategies to improve digital safety and accountability on social media platform. In fact, part of it is also making it criminal. Just like your taxpayer person physically even attacking online is also criminalized then promoting civic education and cultural change. Beyond the rig of enforcement. Kenya is working with civil society and development partners to address the social norms and stereotypes that discourage women readership and normalize harassment of women in politics.

At the international level, Kenya commitment commitments under the instruments such as CEDAW and Maputo Protocol reinforce our obligation to eliminate discrimination and ensure women can participate fully safely in governance. Ultimately, protecting women in politics is not just a gender equality issue but also about democracy. Ensuring women can run for office, campaign freely and serve without fear, strengthens democratic institutions, enhance representation and improve government and improve governance outcome for all citizens. And finally is the issue of also training and ensuring women are well equipped to be able to stand against violence, especially during elections. Knowing what to do, and especially on the issue of knowing how to report and how to get help once such an incident can happen, is part of the training that the Kenyan government is really embarking on so that women are able to stand up against violence, especially during election.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Commissioner, for your remarks because it's very important to look at the institutional aspect of the issue as well. And now I will give the floor to Mr. Caterini Pazoliani, Secretary General for Equality and Human Rights of Greece. Secretary General, can you please explain why political violence against women should be understood as a structural threat to democracy?

Thank you very much. Excellencies, distinguished colleagues and dear friends, it is great honor for me to participate in this high level dialogue and to join such distinguished women leaders.

We meet at a critical moment for global democracy. At a time of increasing polarization and institutional strain. The participation and leadership of women in political life are more essential than ever for building inclusive and resilient societies. Political violence against women is one of the most severe yet persistently under recognized forms of gender based violence. It is not a marginal issue with inequality debates.

It is direct challenge to the rule of law and to the representative nature of democratic institutions. When women are attacked, threatened or harassed because they participate in public life, the target is not only the individual woman, the target is the democracy itself. Political violence seeks to redraw the boundaries of who is allowed to speak, to lead and to influence collective decisions. To fully understand this phenomenon, we must situate it within the broader context of democratic backsliding. Across many regions, human rights mechanisms have warned of a growing black backlash against gender equality, filled by political polarization, misinformation and the erosion of institutional safeguards.

Political violence functions as a mechanism of exclusion. While it silences individual women, its broader purpose is to send the message that political participation carries unacceptable personal costs. Repeatedly affirm within the United nations system, the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in decision making is indispensable for sustainable development, peaceful societies and effective governance. A parliament cannot truly be considered representative if participation requires entire intimidation, harassment or violence. At the same time, the nature of political violence is evolving.

While physical and psychological attacks remain deeply concerning, digital forms of political violence against women are rapidly increasing. Online harassment, gender hate speech and coordinated disinformation campaigns are increasingly used to undermine women leaders, damage their reputation and reinforce harmful stereotypes. As a result, as it said before, many women, especially the younger one, the younger generation, are discouraged from internal entering or remaining to the political to the public life. In parallel, misinformation is often used to attack key international frameworks such as the Istanbul Convention with the aim of weakening protection system for women and girls. Governments and parliaments therefore carry clear responsibility to ensure that technological innovation does not become a tool of democratic exclusion.

Effective regulatory responses must protect freedom of expression while also ensuring accountability for digital abuse. It is also important to recognize that political violence does not affect all women equally. Many women face intersecting forms of discrimination and often encounter headed exposure to both political marginalization and violence while also facing greater barriers in assessing justice. Hello?

What then is the responsibility of the state? First, states must move beyond rhetorical commitments and undepth concrete legislative and institutional measures. Provision is equally important. Electoral bodies, law enforcement authorities and judicial actors must have the training and tools necessary to identify, investigate and prosecute gender based political violence. Political parties must also play their role by establishing internal codes of conduct and effective complaint mechanisms to address harassment and sexism within their structures.

In Greece, we are working to address this challenge through a comprehensive approach. The General Secretariat for Equality and Human Rights of the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family is currently fine as a finalizing the new action plan for gender equality for the period 2026 2030. This strategic framework aims to dismantle structural barriers, strengthen institutional safeguards and enhance protection for women and leadership and decision making positions. In 2025, our country strengthened its legal framework on combating violence against women. New offences, including cyber harassment, are now explicitly codified, ensuring that both online and offline forms of abuse are addressed.

At the parliamentary level, the Special Permanent Committee on Equality, Youth and Human Rights of the Hellenic Parliament contributes to ongoing efforts to promote gender equality within legislative processes. Through dialogue, monitoring and policy discussion, the Committee works to integrate equality consideration into parliamentary deliberation and reinforce and institutional attentions to issues of parity and protection. At the same time, we recognize that no country can address this challenge alone. Political violence against women is a global phenomenon and requires coordinated multilateral responses. Organizations such as Club de Madrid also play an important role in promoting inclusion, inclusive leadership and protecting democratic space.

Platforms that bring together former heads of state, policymakers and civil society actors help strengthen political commitment and amplify effective practices. Among these practices are temporary special measures including gender quotas with half which have proven effective in accelerating women's representation in legislative bodies. Equally important is continued investment in institutional capacity, particularly for electoral and judicial authorities responsible for investigating and addressing violations. Excellency, the struggle against political violence against women is ultimately a struggle for the integrity and legitimacy of democracy itself. A political system cannot claim to be representative if half of its population is systematically intimidating into silence.

Greece remains firmly committed to its international obligation. We will continue to work with member states, United nations entities and civil society to ensure that every woman can participate in political life safely, freely and equally. Thank you very much.

Absolutely. Secretary General, we cannot stay silent and we need to have 50% in all parliaments representing women. And now it's my pleasure and my honor to give the floor to a pioneer for women's rights, our own Executive Director of UN Women, for her opening remarks.

Ambassador Valta, permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations. Your Excellency, Madame Michel Bachelet, Vice President of Club de Madrid. Your Excellency, Anwe Garou, Governor of Kiriniaga county of Kenya. Ms. Patsogiani, Secretary General for Equality and Human rights in Greece. Ms. Borisov, Secretary General of the Ministry for Women of the Republic of Panama.

Ms. Costo Pablo, President of the Platform for Independent Expert Mechanisms to End Discrimination against Women and Girls. Distinguished delegates, colleagues and friends, it is an honor to be here today. I'm sorry I'm a bit delayed, but CSW opening took longer, a bit longer than anticipated. This dialogue matters. And violence against women in politics, as I am just hearing, threatens also our democracies.

It threatens our progress, it threatens the future we are all trying to build. And every person has the right to take part in decisions that shape their lives. Women and girls always included. This is the core of human rights. And the Secretary General this morning told us again and again that women's rights are human rights.

So we really have to, all of us, to live up to this and to work towards this as well. Women's equal participation is not optional. It is a right. It is non negotiable and it strengthens every institution it touches. So, and also our data and everything that we work on tells us that when women lead, societies grow stronger, policies become more inclusive, responses become more effective, resilience increases, and peace, the important peace that we need today for the world.

When women are participating meaningfully, peace becomes more durable. And this has been proven. We all benefit. And yet this promise is under attack and continues to be. Women remain underrepresented in every sphere of decision making globally.

No country is free from this challenge and no institution is immune. Women entering public life face risks that their male counterparts do not, not at the same level. They face hostility, they face discrimination, they face violence simply for doing their jobs. And I'm sure that many of you here today, this can resonate with many of you Certainly it resonates a lot with me as well. UN Women surveys across five countries show alarming results.

Up to 2/3 of women in local government have experienced violence, often inside the very institutions where they serve. They are insulted, excluded, denied resources and told that this is normal, this is acceptable, but it is not normal and it is not acceptable and none of us should accept it. This violence also against women is not random.

It is strategic. It is meant to push women out and it is meant to silence women. And when women are pushed out, democracy suffers, every community loses and every society is weakened. Excellencies also online spaces are becoming even more dangerous. 70% of women human rights defenders, activists and journalists report online violence, threats, hate, harassment, disinformation, and the harm does not stay online.

4 in 10 women experience offline attacks linked to online abuses. And we have heard of many women activists who have been killed in front of their houses, in front of their homes, in front of their family members, just by being human rights defenders and by being vocal and by wanting to participate for a better life for everyone in their societies. But this must change. So we need leadership, we need accountability, we need action, and we need strong legal frameworks to be put in place. And putting them in place is not enough.

Enforcing them is also key and important. We need responses to protect survivors, and prevention must become a priority. Social norms must also shift, and we need to work on that.

UN Women Excellencies is responding. Since 2022, more than 300 initiatives to address political violence have been implemented in over 40 countries. These include legislative reforms in Colombia, monitoring systems in the Central African Republic, training for security forces in Malawi and Tanzania, protocols for electoral bodies and political parties in Liberia and Libya, and support for women rights organizations and movements through programs like ACT, funded by the EU partners as well. So we stand to do much more. We stand ready to work with member states, with all of you, with all leaders with international mechanisms to ensure that we move forward against the pushback and that we move forward towards justice for women and girls throughout.

So our commitments today must turn into action. Principles must turn into safety for women and girls. And no woman should have to choose between her safety and her right to participate in political and public life. So let us rise to the moment, Excellencies, together, and ensure that women and everywhere can lead, can participate and can serve without fear. I thank you,

Thank you, Executive Director, for those inspiring remarks. And I especially thank you for making the time to address our panel today day in such a busy program that you have. We thank you.

And now I will Pass the floor to the Secretary General of the Ministry for Women of the Republic of Panama, Ms. Mithia Borisov, for her remarks and she may offer us some thoughts on the issue of build of the issue building on Panama's experience. I thank you.

Very good afternoon. It's truly an honor to be here and to address you in this CSW 70 as a Secretary General of the Minister of Women of Panama. We would like to affirm that the Panamanian State has participated in this dialogue with a clear commitment and sense of responsibility. Democracy does not sustain itself. It is built every day and it requires integrity, equity and constant commitment.

Gender based political violence, manifested through sexist attacks to defamation and online harassment, directly affects female candidates. Economic inequalities and the disproportionate burden of care work also play a role, particularly for rural and indigenous women. In a context where female economic participation is considerably lower than male participation, the Ministry of Women, in coordination with undp, the Electoral Tribunal and the Electoral Prosecutor General's Office, developed consultation workshops for the construction of a comprehensive proposal aimed at strengthening gender equality in political participation. These spaces were aimed at women, candidates for elected office, local authorities and activist, with the goal of gathering contributions and experiences that will allow the consolidation of a solid and representative initiative. Strengthening political communication skills is crucial.

However, it is not enough to simply create opportunities for women, it is also necessary to provide them with the tools so that they can express themselves clearly, convey their ideas, project leadership and connect with the electorate. We have public policy on Equal Opportunities for Women 2024-2034 which seeks to promote a society with greater equality and more opportunities for women. This policy is is based on international commitments undertaken by Panama, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Inter American Convention to Prevent, Punish and Eradicate Violence against Women, and the Sustainable Development Goals. In a context where politics is increasingly conducted in digital environments, it is essential to strengthen digital communication skills. The strategic use of social media and the management of digital campaigns with a gender focus will allow women in politics to broaden their reach and reduce the gaps with traditional power structures.

In the case of digital violence, online harassment seeks to intimidate and silence women who raise their voices. It is a smear campaign based on gender stereotypes where their character, personal life or appearance are questioned instead of discussing their proposals and abilities.

It also includes exclusion from decision making spaces within political parties, a lack of institutional support, and unequal access to campaign funding. These practices don't always leave visible traces, but they do limit opportunities. They affect self esteem and discourage participation. Ultimately, they not only affect women candidates, but they also weaken the quality of our democracy.

Our Ministry assumes a leading role in the defence and promotion of women's political participation, reaffirming its leadership as the governing body in the protection and safeguard of the full exercise of their human rights.

From this position of responsibility, we recognize that political violence against women reflects the challenges democracy still faces in overcoming inequalities. When a woman in politics is attacked, it is not just an individual that is attacked, but it is also a discouraging message sent to all girls and young women who aspire to participate in and serve their country. Therefore, from our Ministry we will continue to work to ensure that women can exercise their leadership and political participation in conditions of equality, safety and respect. Our institutional roadmap for the period 2026 to 2030 is clear. 1.

National Plan against Violence 2026 to 2030 we are dealing in cooperation with with the IDP and the National Committee Against Violence Against Women, the design of an aggressive public policy to prevent and eradicate all forms of gender based violence and the creation of a national plan to eradicate violence against women. 2. Defence of parity and Leadership through alliances with Parliament and other international organizations, the Ministry of Women of Panama is promoting the Consolidation of Law 184 of 2020 as an effective principle and a guideline for action in every political party and in every district of the country. 30 discrimination as a state principle we will continue to reaffirm that equality is the only pathway to development. We will not tolerate the rise of digital violence such as attacks on social media or public denigration to continue being the price women must pay for participating in political life.

In conclusion, Panama has made significant progress in strengthening its legal framework for political equality. This progress presents a valuable opportunity to further consolidate conditions that promote the full and effective participation of women. The next step is to continue strengthening real equality, guaranteeing protection against violence and promoting equal access to resources and opportunities so that laws translate into into fairer and more balanced representation in all decision making spaces. Thank you very much.

Thank you so much, Secretary General for sharing your thoughts and your program on reinforcing the the position of women in Panama so they can have a full access in the political life of your country. And now it is my pleasure to turn to Ms. Adriani Costopoulou, President of the Platform of Independent Expert Mechanism to End Discrimination and Violence against Women Women and president of Grevio. Ms. Costopoulou, on the basis of the human rights monitoring work that you carry out, have you come across the notion of political violence against women, or can you offer some examples of it? Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you very much, your Excellency. And thank you for the kind invitation. It's a pure pleasure to participate and to address you in this dual capacity as chair of the EDVA platform and also president of grevio, which is the monitoring body evaluating the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, an instrument which is often referred to as the golden standard in the field of fight against violence against women. So if I would start on a positive note, I would say that first of all, we have seen some progress. So we see more and more women entering politics, running for office, sometimes even taking leadership positions.

And yet, despite all this, here we are discussing a very crucial question. What happens? What happens when women step into public power? Unfortunately, the reality is that entering politics does not come alone for women, because many women, for many of them, visibility in public life is accompanied by a sharp rise in hate speech and misogynistic attacks against them. Why?

Because they are women, that's why. For example, I would like to offer your excellency a few examples identified through our monitoring work in Grebia. In our thematic evaluation report on Austria, we noted with concern that women politicians continue to be the target of hateful and misogynistic comments, which of course is linked to persistent inequalities between women and men in societies. Similar concerns were raised with regard to Finland, where women journalists and politicians increasingly face online violence and sexist hate speech. And this matters, and this matters not only because of the harm inflicted on individual women, but because of its broader consequences.

Now, when women in public life are subjected to harassment, to threats, to smear campaigns, the message sent is very clear. And I will quote your words, Ambassador, Public life for women comes at a price which is too high to bear. Now, one dimension that I would like to highlight that should not be underestimated, it's the chilling effect.

The visibility of attacks against women in politics discourages many others from entering the political arena in the first place. Now, when political spaces are perceived as unsafe or even as hostile, so many women may simply decide not to run for office. And in this way, what we see is that violence against women in politics does not only silence those who are already in public life, but it prevents future leaders, women leaders, from entering. At the same time, what we are seeing, what we are discussing today, is that women, that violence against women in politics still receives insufficient public recognition and attention, and that many Victims remain hesitant, reluctant to report it. Such violence too often is normalized.

We have just discussed it. It comes with a job description for women. In addition, reporting mechanisms are often weak, inexistent or unclear. And victims may face pressure from political organizations conf about their careers and fear of appearing weak. As a result, much of this violence remains invisible and unaddressed.

And the rise it was mentioned by all previous speakers. The rise of violence in online spaces is a particularly important dimension of this challenge. And this is precisely why in we have offered an interpretation of the Council of Europe Convention that looks specifically at violence against women and girls online and through technology. We took this step particularly in the aftermath of the COVID 19 pandemic, when much of our social, professional, political life moved online. And during that period, what we witnessed was an escalation of online harassment, sexist hate speech, doxing and coordinated smear campaigns, particularly targeting women in public life.

Politicians, journalists, human rights defenders. And in the course of our monitoring work, we have repeatedly noted the particularly vulnerable position of women in poor politics when it comes to online harassment, including online sexual harassment and other forms of violence, especially if these women are exposed to intersectional discrimination. And this type of violence does more than harm individual it silences women, as we discussed, it discourages them from speaking, from participating in Ultimately, it weakens our democracy itself. And of course, this is not a concern that only Grevio has shared. All mechanisms forming part or seven global and regional mechanisms that form part of the ETWA platform have brought elements of this phenomenon.

And we speak in one voice when we say that this incidents that we witness, they are not isolated incidents. They form part of a broader continuum of violence against women, which is deeply rooted in inequalities. Now, before I close, if I may, just to bring your attention to one extra dimension, I refer to the issue of underreporting. And I mention several reasons why women in public life may hesitate to report such violence against them. Now, I would like to refer also to the dimension of retaliation, including legal retaliation against them.

So in other words, situations where a woman who finds finally the courage to speak out, to seek justice for the violence that she has experienced may face defamation, lawsuits or other legal actions aimed at intimidating her, at silencing her from pursuing her complaint. And this is something that the platform will be looking very closely this year. Thank you very much for your kind attention.

Thank you, Mrs. Kostlopoulo. The issue of underreporting is crucial because many women feel, when attacked, they feel that they deserve it, and in many cases, and it's very important to help them to eradicate this stigma. And I see people. Giselle Pellico, I don't know, you must have heard this name. It was very important also being raped by so many men that her husband had organized these rapes.

She wanted to appear in person at court because she wanted to face her rapist. That's what women, when attacked, should do. We should not be ashamed and we should not feel guilty about this type of situations. But I don't want to take any further time. Of the time that you have for your questions.

We have one or two. And please, if you could limit your comments on remarks so we can have time to. For our panelists to respond. Yes, please.

Muchas gracias. Thank you. Good afternoon, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Aracelis Villanueva. I am a senator of the Dominican Republic, and I'm here as the president of the Gender Commission and of the Senate of my country.

With me we have Leah Diaz, my colleague, who is part of my delegation. I'd like to thank you for inviting Gloria Reyes and our President of the Senate, because they have given us the trust to represent our country here. We bring you greetings from the Dominican Republic's delegation. My question is, are we doing what we need to do so that women can participate politically, free of violence, free of discrimination?

Definitely. Political violence against women is not only an attack.

We women in the world are participating in politics as candidates, as legislators, as government officials, community leaders. And we always face digital harassment, threats, defamation, campaigns, and other forms of violence that seek to silence our voice. These are not isolated practices, but rather a strategy to exclude women from the spaces of power. When women are attacked for being political leaders, you are not only attacking their rights, but also weakening our democratic institutions. So we must act firmly.

We need clear laws that sanction political violence. The Dominican Republic we've promoted initiatives promoting respect and peaceful resolutions like Let Her Go. This unites all legislators from all political partners, calling them to reject any kind of control or violence against women in their private lives and their public lives. This multilateral space that represents the hope of. Of cooperation among nations.

We reaffirm this fundamental principle. We cannot have full democracy if women cannot participate in politics without fear. To defend women in politics is to defend democracy itself. Thank you so much.

Thank you. We're running out of time, and I would like now to give. If there are no comments from our panel, I would like to give the floor to my friend and colleague, Ambassador for Armenia, to give the concluding Remarks,

Excellencies, distinguished speakers, colleagues and friends, my sincere appreciation to Ambassador Balta, dear friend and Mission of Greece to the Club of Madrid for convening this important science event which Armenia was pleased to co sponsor. I also thank all distinguished speakers for their insightful contributions. Today, Exchange has reaffirmed a central Political violence against women is not an isolated phenomenon. It is a structural challenge that directly threatens the foundation of democratic governance. When women leaders, parliamentarians, candidates, human rights defenders are targeted, the aim is not only to silence individuals but also to weaken equal political participation and erode public trust.

In the digital era, these threats have become even more complex. Online harassment, coordinated disinformation campaigns, misuse of emerging technologies including including AI, are creating new barriers for women participating in public and political life. Coordinated action is required to prevent and respond to these evolving threats, while ensuring that technology serves as a tool for empowerment rather than exclusion. Very briefly on Armenia's experience. In recent years, my country has taken imperial, important steps to translate commitments to gender equality into concrete policies.

Promoting women's equal participation in political life and decision making remains a key priority. Today, women hold 36% of seats in National assembly over Minya, 25% of ministerial positions, and women serves in senior leadership positions, Ministers of Interior, Justice, Culture and Education, Prosecutor General, even Chief of Foreign Intelligence Service. Dear colleagues, our discussion today reaffirmed that stronger cooperation among member states, international mechanism and civil society is essential. We must continue to strengthen legal and policy frameworks addressing political violence against women, support the collection of reliable data, and share best practices. By coordinating our efforts, we can more effectively tackle both traditional and emerging forms of political violence against women, thereby protecting strengthening our democracies.

Let me once again thank the organizers and all participants for this fruitful dialogue. I thank you.

I would like once more to thank you for your participation. See you next year.