On March 25, after marking the arrival of the art installation “Thinking of you” in Strasbourg, a tribute to women who have suffered conflict-related sexual violence, the Congress held its debate on violence against women in politics. Those gathered in the Hemicycle heard a series of harrowing testimonies, but also glimmers of hope that the Congress could bring about real change in the political culture of its member states to protect and encourage women-elected representatives, without whom democracy has no future.
Opening the debate, Congress President Marc Cools pointed out that in 2024 the “Mayors under pressure” debate had drawn attention to the vulnerability of women mayors and local councillors who have suffered daily harassment and physical and verbal abuse, particularly via social media. This is a growing trend that discourages women in Europe from embarking on political careers.
Jaqueline McLaren, Lord Provost of the city of Glasgow in the United Kingdom, confirmed that the figures for women's participation in politics were not reassuring. Moreover, during her time as a local councillor and mayor of Glasgow, she herself had encountered violence. Threatened, among other things, with tarring and feathering, she had felt the helplessness and anxiety that many women politicians had experienced, were experiencing or would experience. Hence her motivation to invest in mutual aid, mentoring and solidarity programmes between elected representatives, such as Eurocity. She called on Congress members to take action and to get involved, also citing the Cartier initiative which sought to build mutual support between women entrepreneurs and leaders around the world, as well as Sophie's Stop, an app created by women for women to combat gender-based violence.
“If democracy is reserved for men, it has no meaning” – that was the message from an indignant Flo Clucas, Chair of the Standing Committee for Equality of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), who pointed out that according to the CEMR report “Women in politics: local and European trends”, around 1 out of 3 women in politics had been subjected to violence, particularly cyberviolence. She spoke of how, from a very young age, she had been taught an important lesson by her grandmother, namely, that women had died so that she could enjoy a fundamental human right – the right to vote. Having encountered violence, intimidation and harassment on more than one occasion in Liverpool and Cheltenham, Ms Clucas also recalled the case of her friend Rosie Cooper, a local councillor and later MP, who in 2017 had received death threats from members of a neo-Nazi group. “The mass media and the psychological manipulation of young people on social networks, particularly boys, had made political activity difficult for women,” said Ms Clucas, who was concerned about “misogyny and the belief in a particular form of male domination.” She called for concrete action from Congress members, citing a series of measures taken by England’s Local Government Association: training kits for local councils, security measures at local council meetings, the Your Voice survey, launched to give young women and girls an opportunity to express their views on their possible participation in political life, outreach in schools, etc.
With a strong turn-out by UK-elected officials and more than 25 participants in total, the debate included first-hand accounts from all over Europe, showing that the safety and well-being of women in politics is indeed a major issue throughout the old continent. Nazia Rehman (SOC/G/DP) expressed concern that in the United Kingdom, locally elected councillors are even more exposed to violence than members of parliament. Widening the debate on women in politics to violence against women in their professional environment, Ms Heather Brannan McVey (SOC/G/DP) mentioned the “Equally Safe” programme in Scotland as an example of action aimed at, among other things, ensuring equitable participation by women in public life. Several speakers drew attention to the worsening violence against women politicians and public figures amid the growth of AI and digital platforms, which were capable of producing deep-fake pornographic content to discredit female elected officials.
The youth delegates drew particular applause, with speeches that showed their determination to change the situation and work to promote gender equality in politics and in society at large. Lumi Reichenbach, a youth delegate from Finland, spoke out against the media discourse that focused on women's personal lives and their clothing, rather than on what they said and did in politics, thus treating women as objects and not as active agents. Latvian youth delegate Renars Karlinskis paid tribute to the women who had helped him enter politics, pointing out that often they had to be twice as competent as their male counterparts.
Many speakers emphasised that defending women in politics against violence is a duty shared by both men and women.
Mediabox Interview with Lord Provost Jaqueline McLaren and Flo Clucas
***
