Democracy is in decline globally. In many states, principles such as the separation of powers, judicial independence and equality before the law are under attack. Disinformation; incremental dismantling of protections for press freedoms and rhw repression of vulnerable populations and minorities add to this. Women parliamentarians are particularly affected by this: they are on the frontlines of attacks. In many cases, the perpetrators go unpunished.
Als Mitglied des “Parliamentarians for Global Action”-Netzwerks freue ich mich über die neue Initiative PARRT (Parliamentarian Rapid Response Team). Mit PARRT helfen wir da, wo Parlamentarierinnen und Menschenrechtsverteidigerinnen in Gefahr sind, indem wir Statements geben, Regierungen in den entsprechenden Ländern kontaktieren und die verschiedenen Fälle z. B. im Europäischen Parlament, ansprechen. Wir verurteilen alle Formen von Belästigung, Sexismus und anderen Formen von Diskriminierung und Gewalt gegen Parlamentarierinnen auf der ganzen Welt: Gewalt darf nicht zur Unterdrückung von Frauen und derer, die sich im politischen Raum engagieren, eingesetzt werden!
In the campaign „S.T.O.P. Violence Against Women Parliamentarians“ I have my say:
We have seen an increase in serious human rights violations and attacks on our democratic institutions during the Covid-19 pandemic, and, in particular, a worrying surge and aggravated wave of discrimination and political violence against women and the most vulnerable. Today, as Members of Parliament around the globe, we are coming together to denounce the persecution, prosecution, sexism, harassment, and all other forms of discrimination and violence against women parliamentarians around the world. Violence in any of its forms must not be used as a tool to repress women and those who participate in political spaces. Gender imbalance and inequality, and attacks on women, weaken our ability to build stronger democracies and more resilient societies.
