Violence against women in politics and elections (VAWP) is both a cause and a consequence of women’s political exclusion. As women’s leadership becomes more visible, technology advances, and anti-democratic forces grow stronger, the threat of VAWP increases. This event will provide a deep dive into VAWP and its challenges to facilitate the response we need.  

Participants will attend from more than 14 countries and territories across Asia and will include academics, representatives of civil society, governments, and international organisations, members of parliaments, members of the media and technology industries, and leaders of women’s and youth movements.  

During the global 16 Days of Activism to Combat Violence Against Women and Girls, the participants will consider: 

• How to challenge technology and media practices and hold them accountable for the harmful, violent, misogynistic narratives that radicalise young men and deter young women from engaging in politics.  
• How to collaborate to collect VAWP data more systematically across the region so we can better understand the scale, nature, and prevalence of VAWP and implement responses.  
• The nature of VAWP experienced within political institutions and engaging political actors in developing survivor-informed practices for institutions.  
• How gendered disinformation plays a critical role in the backsliding of women’s rights, democracy, peace, and security and could become an early warning system for conflict prevention and building sustainable peace.

Follow WFD’s social media accounts and the hashtag #DemocracyAction to get live updates from the event.