Elected to Lead - Violence Against Women in Politics

23 November 2021 14:00-15:30 CET

- Elected to Lead -
Violence Against Women in Politics

Research shows that women in politics are often particularly vulnerable to gender based violence. Many female elected officials testify to various types of ridicule, harassment and threats because of their gender. Statistics also show that the proportion of women who resign from their political positions is higher than the proportion of men. The Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians revealed in its 2020 report an uptick in acts of intimidation and violence, especially against women MPs around the globe.

What can we do to stop this worrying development? How can women have equal and safe political participation?

This year, ForumCiv, The Hunger Project and WILPF Sweden have joined forces to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, girls and people with diverse sexual orientations, identities and gender expressions through the Thematic Week: "Taking Actions Against Gender-Based Violence" (November 22th-26th). On November 23rd we invite you to participate in the global online conversation "Elected to Lead - violence against women in politics".

Practical information

When? November 23rd, 2021 at 14.00-15.30 Stockholm (CET), 18.30 New Delhi (IST), 09.00 am New York (EST), 08.00 am Bogotá (COT)

Where? Via Zoom, click here to enter the call.

Participants:

Veda Bharadwaja, Senior Programme Officer, The Hunger Project India
Jereline S. Mambu, Executive Director, Women Initiatives For Protection (WIP), Liberia
Anna Stenvinkel, Secretary General, Forum Civ, Sweden
Zaira Alhelí Hipólito López, Electoral Counselor of the State Electoral and Citizen Participation Institute of Oaxaca, Mexico
Sylvie Ndongmo, President of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Cameroon

Moderator: Rumbidzai Kandawasvika-Nhundu, Senior Advisor, Democracy and Inclusion, International IDEA

The seminar will be held in English and Spanish, simultaneous interpretation will be available.

About the seminar series "Elected to Lead":

This year marks the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in Sweden. To commemorate this, The Hunger Project organizes the seminar series "Elected to lead" on women's political participation and leadership. In previous seminars, we have talked about what happens to society when women gain influence on the same terms as men, as well as what is required for women to actually gain political power in their societies.

This webinar is organized in connection to the photo exhibition "Folkvalda att leda" at Etnografiska museum in Stockholm September 4th - January 16th.

Speakers

Veda Bharadwaja
Senior Program Officer at The Hunger Project India

Veda Bharadwaja is the senior program officer for The Hunger Project India, where she has led the advocacy portfolio at the national and state level. She has assisted in developing key advocacy and policy intervention strategies regarding varied campaigns, programs & networking with different civil society groups, NGOs, INGOs on women’s livelihoods, food and social security. Veda is particularly interested in gender & development and its intersection with politics, caste and class. She is passionate about advancing women’s and girls’ rights and political participation, and is a firm believer that dialogue and engagement with policy is the only sustainable way to uphold rights, especially for the marginalized and vulnerable.

Jereline Mambu
Executive Director, Women Initiatives For Protection (WIP), Liberia

Jereline S. Mambu is from Bomi County, Liberia. She is a Registered Nurse. Also, she is a Socialist working around Women and Girls issues for the past ten years in Bomi county. Currently, she is the Executive Director and the Founder of the Women Initiatives For Protection (WIP). The passion she has in working with women and girls is keeping her focused on Advocacy and Awareness Raising on Women and girls Rights, Gender Equality, and their participation in decision-making processes at all levels.

Anna Stenvinkel
Secretary General at Forum Civ, Sweden

Anna Stenvinkel is the Secretary General of ForumCiv, Sweden's largest platform for civil society with over 175 members. With 25 years in the leadership role, including within the Green Party, the Red Cross and Sweden's united student unions, Anna has extensive knowledge and long experience of the complexity that leadership in idea-driven organizations entails. She is also the convener of the Secretary General's Network, a forum for leaders in aid organizations and sits on the steering group for Non-profit Arena and in the Government's and Swedish civil society organizations' joint commitments for strengthened dialogue and cooperation in development cooperation (GÅ).

Zaira Hipólito López
Electoral Counselor of the State Electoral and Citizen Participation Institute of Oaxaca, Mexico

Zaira Alhelí Hipólito López is an Electoral Counselor of the State Electoral and Citizen Participation Institute of Oaxaca in Mexico, whose purpose is to contribute to the development of democratic life in the State and promote the exercise of the political-electoral rights of citizens etc. Zaira is Zapotec from the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca, and speaks, reads and writes Zapotec. She has a master's degree in community social psychology. She has collaborated in various civil society organizations and in the Assembly of Indigenous Women of Oaxaca.

Sylvie Ndongmo
President of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), Cameroon

Sylvie Ndongmo is the President and founder of WILPF Cameroon, as well as the African regional representative on the board of WILPF International. She is a member of the African Union Steering Committee for the fund for African Women. Ms. Ndongmo has been very instrumental in advocating for peace and security in Cameroon, and led the advocacy process for the adoption of Cameroon’s UNSCR 1325 National Action Plan. She is currently leading the process of setting up a national Women’s Situation Room (WSR) to prevent election violence and increase women’s participation in the upcoming presidential elections.

Rumbidzai Kandawasvika-Nhundu
Senior Advisor: Democracy and Inclusion at International IDEA

MODERATOR

Rumbidzai Kandawasvika-Nhundu is the Senior Advisor: Democracy and Inclusion at International IDEA, she is a democracy and gender equality advocate and practitioner with several years of engagement on gender equality and women’s empowerment in political systems and political parties, electoral systems and processes, constitutional building, political financing/money in politics and parliamentary strengthening in Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Rumbidzai will moderate the discussion.

Organized by

The Hunger Project Sverige @thehungerprojectse @thehungerprojectse

ForumCiv @forumciv @ForumCiv info@forumciv.org

WILPF Sweden @ikff_sverige @ikff_sverige

The Hunger Project Mexico @thpmexico @thpmexico

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