Africa-Press – Ethiopia. March 8/2021(ENA) The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has called on all stakeholders to do their part to prevent gender-based hate speech and other forms violence against women during the 2021 national elections.
Marking the 2021International Women’s Day, the commission has called to prevent gender motivated hate speech and violence against women participating in the 2021 national elections as political party candidates, as voters and women playing other roles in the electoral process.
A rapid assessment on violence against women during Elections in Ethiopia shows that women taking part in election processes and in particular women political party candidates are vulnerable to various forms of gender motivated verbal and physical violence online and offline, it said.
The study that covered Addis Ababa, Amhara, Oromia and Somali regions found that women taking part in elections as candidate, voter, election officer and other electoral activities have faced various forms of psychological, physical, economic and sexual violence.
The assessment included testimonies from women active in politics and electoral activities, experiences of law enforcement and government officials and other stakeholders shows that women political party candidates are particularly vulnerable to such forms of violence, according to the commission.
Similarly, women who express their political views online and those directly taking part in election processes, are exposed to gender motivated hate speech such as on comments on their physical appearance, their attire, their social life, verbal attacks directed at the families and other forms of hate speech that cause significant psychological harm.
Such forms of gender motivated hate speech also constitute gender-based violence, it pointed out.
As result, women political party members and candidates had only family or the political party they represent to turn to for comfort and encouragement, the commission said.
As the International Women’s Day 2021 is marked this year with theme “Choose to Challenge”, the Commission reiterates its call to all political parties taking part in the upcoming national elections to pledge publicly to the “6 Point Human Rights Agenda”.
Studies show that violence against women in elections is a threat to the integrity of the electoral process as it coercively excludes women from having a voice in the political life and governance of their country.
