As part of her three-day visit to IPU Headquarters, newly elected IPU President Tulia Ackson spoke at a webinar on violence against women in African parliaments, organized by the IPU in partnership with the African Parliamentary Union (APU).
The webinar was held in the lead-up to the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November, which opens 16 days of activism culminating with International Human Rights Day on 10 December.
MPs from around the African continent joined the online event to share experiences and solutions for eliminating violence against women. The webinar provided an opportunity to revisit the 2021 study Sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliaments in Africa, published by the IPU and APU.
Ms. Ackson said: “I feel happy that the first IPU event that I am opening as IPU President is for African parliaments, covering a vital issue requiring urgent attention for women, gender equality and democracy at large. It is not normal to hear comments that a woman’s place is in the kitchen and not in politics. It is not normal for women politicians to receive misogynistic comments and death threats online. It is not normal to be attacked because you are a woman in politics.”
Tulia Ackson of the United Republic of Tanzania was elected as the 31st President of the IPU by the IPU Membership in October at the 147th IPU Assembly in Luanda, Angola. Ms. Ackson became a parliamentarian in 2015. She is currently the Speaker of the Bunge, the National Assembly of Tanzania, a position to which she was appointed in 2022 after a period as Deputy Speaker.
