By Reckya Madougou*
As the United Nations (UN) and its partners mark 16 days of activism to eradicate violence against women, we learn that this year’s theme is “Investing to prevent violence against women and girls”. However, the international community often overlooks a certain form of gender-based violence that wreaks havoc on countries without being noticed, while considerably compromising their development prospects.
Yet the international campaign, which takes place every year from International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (November 25) to Human Rights Day (December 10), aims to advocate the prevention and eradication of violence against women, in all its manifestations.
We live in a world shaped by women whose actions have left an indelible mark on the history of nations. Allow me to open a window on Nzinga Mbande, better known as Queen Nzinga. In the 17th century, she bravely ruled the Ndongo and Matamba kingdoms, located in present-day Angola. Her reign is engraved in capital letters, marked by her stubborn refusal to submit to Portuguese colonization.
I could also have drawn inspiration from historical figures such as Catherine de Médicis and Golda Meir, or contemporary personalities like Margaret Thatcher, Angela Merkel and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, to name but a few. The message remains the same: to pay tribute to women politicians who occupy a special place in the annals of human history.
Prominent figures who have demonstrated time and again that when society entrusts them with political responsibilities, the country’s strategic orientations are often more inclusive. It has generally been found that social and human development issues are better promoted when women are present in high political decision-making positions. A kind of humanized governance that goes well with rigor.
Unfortunately, in 2023, the reality is bitter. At present, according to UN Women, only 28 women hold the office of head of state and/or government, in 26 out of some 200 countries. At the current rate, it will take another 130 years to achieve parity. Moreover, only 26.5% of all national parliamentarians are women.
In 2021, in a Benin where the government has nonetheless had the merit of initiating certain reforms aimed at promoting women, the political machinations orchestrated against me by certain actors in the aftermath of the announcement of my candidacy for the presidential elections have reached a rare level of brutality. To the point where false scaffolding led to my iniquitous incarceration. A flagrant violation of my civil and political rights, noted by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), which, in its Opinion No. 51/2022, called in particular for my “immediate release” also requested, a compensation on my behalf and an independent investigation to identify those responsible for my situation. This, after the UN body had pointed to a total lack of evidence.
My own personal experience, which I’m only touching on because I’ve humanely forgiven and turned over a new leaf, even though I’m still paying a very high price, is unfortunately symptomatic of the bestial obstacles and treatment that often competent women face when they enter politics. Like the politico-judicial tribulations encountered by the Nobel Peace Prize winner, former Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was jailed on February 1, 2021 following a military coup and sentenced to several decades in prison. Unsurprisingly, human rights organizations described her trial as a sham and a maneuver designed to remove her from political life.
Clearly, the impact of such intrigues is not limited to the individual concerned, but casts a long shadow over all women considering a political career.
A study conducted by UN Women in India, Nepal and Pakistan, highlights the direct link between the intimidation of women in politics and the diminished political aspirations of other women and girls. For example, between 2003 and 2013, over 60% of women chose not to participate in politics for fear of potential violence. The consequences are serious, as almost 90% of these women feel that violence destroys their will to engage in politics. The study also reveals the crucial role of laws to prevent violence against women in politics.
The reality is that around the world, engaging in politics as a woman requires much more than courage. Because we are seen as daring, we are victims of stalking, moral harassment, degrading remarks, threats, intimidation, humiliation of all kinds and unfair evictions, all of which are met with weak denunciations. And yet, the date of November 25 chosen by the UN in 1999 was decreed in memory of the three Mirabal sisters, Dominican women activists persecuted and brutally murdered on the orders of the tyrannical head of state, Rafael Trujillo. This foundation should bring gender-based violence in politics out of the realm of taboos. It is all too often overshadowed by the no less important issue of domestic violence. It’s as if society as a whole, dumbfounded, agrees to punish women who dare to take on militant challenges. If you don’t care today, think of the legitimate ambitions and aspirations of your daughters tomorrow. If nothing is done, your daughters and granddaughters will suffer the same below-the-belt disparagement and other insanities.
In addition to political machinations aimed at eliminating women from the conquest of power, violence also takes other forms. Let’s take a look at the sexist verbal violence that codifies us or restricts us to our matrimonial functions. Such as, for example, those I had to face during the 2021 election period. Some of you will remember this curious statement by a Member of Parliament who said:
“A beautiful woman like that is like they say a country’s mineral reserves. If you consider her as a gold mine, a very beautiful woman, unequalled, charming, at the head of a country, I don’t think you’ll have the peace we currently have in Benin”.
Or, in the same period, another politician who, in a defamatory manner, reduced to basely libidinal considerations so much hard work, sacrifice and hard-won merit. Sexist remarks against female political figures are legion throughout the world. I also remember the ontological “Go and look after the children” said to French presidential candidate Ségolène Royal in 2007, by a politician allied to her party, right in the middle of the election campaign.
Sexist stereotypes and degrading images conveyed in the media and the plague of social networks, for their part, sustain this violence by focusing on women’s physical appearance, their private lives very often sewn up with malicious rumors and their conformity to traditional social roles, rather than on their skills, their achievements and their potential to contribute as leaders. In the digital age, a new scourge has emerged: cyber-violence against female politicians. Hillary Clinton in the USA and former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard received twice as many abusive tweets as their male counterparts, Bernie Sanders and Kevin Rudd, respectively.
The international community would do well to be aware of the burden borne by women aspiring to play an active role in politics, for the well-being of the community. Violence against women, whether physical, verbal or virtual, cannot be tolerated under any circumstances. It is a denial of democratic values and a contempt for half of humanity. Combating such injustice and encouraging the equitable participation of women at all levels of politics would only be justice for the planet.
* Reckya Madougou is a Beninese opposition leader serving a 20 years prison sentence on charges of “terrorism.” A judge on her case fled to France, condemning the charges as “phony,” “tragic” and “entirely politically motivated.”
