The study observes violence against women in politics and presents a series of suggestions for various stakeholders as to the actions that should be taken to tackle this phenomenon.

The study reveals that women in politics encounter different forms of violence, such as contempt, offensive language or insults, speech interruption, threats, false accusations in the media, sexual harassment, denial of access to party funds. Other practices include the removal of women from the lists of party candidates, firing or threatening to fire them, making false accusations, and fostering rumours of a sexual nature and ignoring them during political meetings. The study reveals that women who strive to advance their career in politics face obstacles from party leaders.

In addition to the in-depth interviews conducted with 20 female politicians in 8 districts of the country, the study is also based on a survey that was conducted with 306 candidates (152 women and 154 men in 12 districts) running in the 2021 Parliamentary Elections.

More than half of the candidates (55.56%) stated that humiliating language and false news are a normal part of politics, followed by intimidation and violence (42.16%), threats against politicians (30.16%), property damage (16.34%) and physical violence (6.86%). A comparison between male and female candidates who ran in the 2021 Parliamentary Elections indicated that humiliating language and false news targeting women are more likely to be of a sexual nature. The study also included 7 discussion groups where 45 different stakeholders (in 7 districts) gave suggestions about tackling violence in politics.

Lindita Nikolla, Speaker of the Parliament, emphasized:” With women in politics what happens to women in society and in other domains of her life. Politics represents an opportunity and access to contribute, just as it is one more reason to prejudice women and girls.
It's no surprise and each of us has experienced it: the higher you climb, the more they will target, attack, or insult you. We, women, and girls in whom public and political trust has been invested, being a role model of representation, must encourage as many women and girls as possible to become part of politics. Together we will be able to create a larger and stronger front to end gender-based violence
in politics.

Petra Burcher Head of the Swedish Development Cooperation underlined:” It’s critical for violence against women in politics to be visible, openly discussed and recognized. Once that exists, solutions can be found. Representation of women in politics is a right not a price to be paid by women. We need on work from the top down letting leaders walk the talk”.

In her speech, the UNDP Resident Representative, Monica Merino, stated that: “UNDP, with the continuous support of the Swedish Government, remains committed to furthering its contribution in support of legislative and executive bodies, CSOs and Independent Human Rights Institutions for the further improvement of the legal framework and policies in order for women and girls to be free of any forms of violence and participate significantly in the political, economic and social decision-making processes in the country”.

The report highlights the need for improvement of the legal framework, which should enable the prevention and effective protection of women and girls from all forms of gender-based violence. Political parties and their leaders should work towards the democratization of political parties, to foster a healthy environment free of any forms of violence, which enables the advancement of women in politics and decision-making. Public and non-public bodies are encouraged to be proactive in the denunciation of all cases of violence against women in politics. Civil society organisations and the media play a crucial role in advocating for the significant participation of women in politics and for raising awareness against gender stereotypes.

The study was conducted by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Albania, in partnership with the Ombudsman and the Commissioner for Protection against Discrimination, in the framework of the Joint United Nations Programme “Ending Violence Against Women in Albania”, funded by the Swedish Government.

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