Sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliaments in the Asia-Pacific region

Since 2016, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has been gathering testimonies from women working in parliaments, shedding light on the persistent hostility they face in the political arena. Its series of studies on sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliament has exposed the nature and magnitude of one of the most significant barriers to achieving gender equality in politics. 

The studies focus on specific regions and are carried out in partnership with regional parliamentary assemblies or organizations, continuing and expanding the collection of data on gender-based violence experienced by women parliamentarians and parliamentary staff, both within parliaments and in the political sphere more broadly. These studies aim to examine how regional contexts and the various political, sociocultural and historical realities of the
countries involved shape the experiences of women in parliament. They also monitor the measures developed and actions taken by parliaments to prevent and combat these forms of violence. Such data are essential, as they make it possible to acknowledge, name and denounce acts of violence, as well as to mobilize stakeholders to prevent and eliminate these acts using proven solutions.

The present study focuses on parliaments in the Asia-Pacific region (see list of countries in Annex 3). It was conducted by the IPU in partnership with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA). It follows two previous regional studies carried out by the IPU and partners on this issue: a report on parliaments in Europe in 2018 and another on parliaments in Africa in 2021. Both studies confirmed alarming rates of gender-based violence, which negatively affects the full participation and performance of women parliamentarians and parliamentary staff in exercising their duties. Gender-based violence also undermines the representativeness and inclusiveness of parliamentary institutions, and the reports highlighted how various parliaments have responded to this problem.