UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.
Women’s leadership and political participation is one of UN Women’s primary areas of work as mandated in its inception, recognizing the integral role of women in strong and stable democratic processes. Through its Leadership and Governance section, UN Women works to implement Output 4 of the Entity’s Strategic Plan 2018-21 “More women of all ages fully participate, lead and engage in political institutions and processes”.
To promote the leadership and participation of women in all levels of decision-making processes, UN Women works with a range of stakeholders including women leaders and aspiring candidates, national parliaments and parliamentarians, political parties, media, civil society organizations, and electoral management bodies, in coordination with UN partner Entities, through a wide range of interventions which include: i) support gender responsive legal reforms, and institutional processes to advance women’s participation and representation (including initiatives to address violence against women in politics); ii) build capacities of women leaders and aspiring candidates; iii) promote change of gender norms through advocacy and outreach initiatives targeting communities, political leaders and the media; iv) and support women leaders in gender responsive political institutions.
In Nepal, the successful completion of local, provincial, and federal elections in 2017 heralded a new era for gender equality in political and public life. At the local level, 41 per cent of those elected into public office in local government units (LGUs) were women (approximately 14,000 including over 6,500 Dalit women) as a result of affirmative action. The significant increase in the political participation of women, with many women assuming a formal leadership role for the first time, provides an unprecedented opportunity to deepen democracy and gender-responsive inclusive governance in the country.
At the same time, elected women representatives – particularly those at the local level who have taken up a political role for the first time – face critical barriers. These include both individual-level barriers (e.g. lack of education and political experience, low self-confidence and self-esteem) and institutional-level (e.g. lack of trust in women’s leadership, gender biased attitudes, limited access to decision-making). Many of these barriers are deeply rooted in gendered social norms within a patriarchal social structure that devalue women and may impact their ability or willingness to pursue and capitalize on their leadership roles gained after the 2017 elections. Exclusion and other social and economic hierarchies (based on caste, class, ethnicity, geography, physical ability, sexual orientation, age or religion) further marginalize and disadvantage certain groups of elected women – particularly Dalit, indigenous, Madhesi and Muslim women – from effectively participating in LGUs as leaders and community representatives.
Worryingly, some evidence indicates that the increase in women’s political representation has been accompanied with heightened levels of violence against women in politics (VAWP), which prevents women from effectively exercising their political rights. Many women started experiencing violence in their homes from the point of fielding their candidacy. Moreover, there have been reports of increased harassment, intimidation, psychological, physical and sexual abuse targeting elected women representatives following the 2017 elections.[1] Several participants at a National Stakeholder Consultation of Elected Women Representatives organized by UN Women in May 2019 noted that women representatives, specifically deputy mayors, face mounting pressure from mayors and local communities while performing their duties. Most participants echoed that women representatives have limited bargaining power and are often silenced by the mayors and even by ward chairs, majority of whom are men.
This evidence is consistent with earlier studies on VAWP in the context of Nepal. For instance, a 2013 study found that psychological gender-based violence is highly prevalent in Nepali politics with 96 per cent women politicians interviewed having been subject to psychological violence.[2] VAWP was also identified as an issue of concern following the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections in 2008, during which women experienced diverse forms of violence ranging from character assassination, harassment and sexual abuse, death threats and intimidation.[3] Furthermore, violence against women and girls among the general population in Nepal is pervasive and occurs in both the private and public spheres. The data regarding the issue shows that 22 per cent of women aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence since age 15; 7 per cent have ever experienced sexual violence; while 26 per cent of ever-married women have experienced spousal violence[4].
While evidence and data on VAWP is still largely anecdotal in Nepal and elsewhere, there is increased global recognition that documenting, preventing and responding to VAWP is crucial. At an expert group meeting on VAWP in 2018, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences (SRVAW) highlighted the importance of collecting, monitoring and analyzing data on violence against women in politics nationally, including on femicide, to design better prevention strategies.[5] In her subsequent report to the General Assembly, the SRVAW reiterated the importance of documentation to overcome the “normalization of violence,” especially when information on VAWP as a phenomenon is discredited.[6] The SRVAW recommended States to build the capacity of all State institutions, including parliaments and election bodies, to guarantee that women can realize their political rights free from gender-based violence, and engage in transparent discussions about the prevention of violence against women, including by conducting surveys on prevalence and creating mechanisms for efficient complaints procedures.
In this context, UN Women Nepal Country Office is supporting a national study on Violence Against Women in Politics (VAWP) in Nepal. The study will document experiences of women in politics, with a particular focus on assessing obstacles to women’s political participation, including the experience of violence, magnitude, forms of violence, risk and protective factors, help-seeking behavior, and consequences it may have on women’s health, well-being as well as on their political participation and leadership. The data collection methods used by the study will be quantitative sample surveys and qualitative interviews and focus groups. This information will be complemented by an assessment of the national and sub-national legislative and policy framework on women’s political participation and VAWP, enabling the identification of entry points for strengthening the normative and institutional framework on VAWP.
Furthermore, the continuing spread of the COVID-19 pandemic presents countries including Nepal with an extraordinary challenge with far-reaching consequences in all aspects of life. Evidence shows that the compounding complexities of the development and humanitarian crisis are having a disproportionate effect of women/girls, as well as those at-risk and vulnerable groups[7]; as pre-existing gender and socio-economic inequalities are further exacerbated during the crisis and in its aftermath. The extent and ways in which the crisis will shape the participation of women in political life, or issues such as VAWP, will also be considered.
While ‘women in politics’ is a broader term for women who directly or indirectly participate in different forms of political activity, this study is focused on women elected for public office at the local level in the 2017 elections. This group of women represents the vast majority of women elected for political office and is expected to be most diverse in terms of age, class, caste, ethnicity, location, religion and disability, thus enabling the study to have an intersectional approach.
It is anticipated that the study will generate evidence on most critical barriers to women’s political participation and leadership in local government in Nepal, guiding efforts of UN Women and its partners to promote and support women’s political empowerment and participation as office holders. Moreover, the technical lessons learned from conducting the study will inform future global quantitative and qualitative research on violence against women office holders and the feasibility of implementing a separate survey on women candidates running in 2022 local elections in Nepal.
UN Women Nepal CO is now seeking the services of a National Consultant, to support the coordination of this study.
Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Deputy Representative and direct supervision of Programme Specialist (Unit Manager), and in close coordination with the Programme Analyst and UN Women HQ, the National Consultant will provide the technical support and coordination required to effectively implement the National Study on Violence Against Women in Politics in Nepal in coordination with key partners and stakeholders on the ground.
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