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ARTICLE
Gender-based political violence: a wound to democracy
Misogyny and machismo are attacks that need to be fought vehemently
Published on October 24, 2024 at 05:00
Gender-based political violence is a wound that continues to corrode the democratic process in Brazil. In this year’s elections, cases of physical and verbal violence against women who ran for elected office became increasingly evident, revealing an alarming reality: female participation in politics continues to be the target of brutal attacks, driven by machismo, misogyny and a resistance to the presence of women in spaces of power.
Unfortunately, I myself was a victim of this type of violence in the elections in Morro do Chapéu. During the electoral process, I had my honor attacked, I suffered sexual harassment, I was insulted and the target of insults that were not directed at my work, but rather at my condition as a woman occupying a leadership position. The Electoral Court recognized this gender-based violence that I suffered and which, as in so many other cases, was motivated by the discomfort that my political presence causes to opponents who do not accept seeing a woman in a prominent position.
This violence is a direct affront to democracy. It has the clear objective of discouraging and discouraging female participation, creating a hostile and inhospitable environment for women to occupy decision-making spaces. And, more seriously, it contributes to the perpetuation of the already alarming lack of female representation in politics. In Brazil, women represent more than 51% of the electorate, but occupy only 15% of elected positions, according to data from the Superior Electoral Court (TSE). This disparity is a reflection not only of institutional barriers, but also of the structural violence we face.
The misogyny and machismo that drive these attacks need to be fought vehemently, not just by us women in politics, but by society as a whole. It is essential that the Courts, the Legislature and supervisory bodies pay more attention to these cases. We cannot accept that this type of practice becomes normalized or treated as something minor. Tougher measures need to be adopted.
Political gender violence is not an isolated attack on the person who suffers it. It is an attack on all women, it is an attack on democracy and our right to occupy spaces of power and decision-making. If there is no firm and effective reaction from the justice system and institutions, women will feel increasingly discouraged from participating in politics, and we run the risk of seeing female representation, which is already low, reduce even further. The fight against gender-based violence in politics belongs to all those who believe in a more just, egalitarian and representative society.
The presence of women in politics cannot be an exception, nor something that bothers or causes violent reactions. Our presence is essential to building a more democratic, plural and representative country. Let’s continue fighting so that this reality changes and so that women, in every corner of Brazil, can exercise their right to participate in politics without fear, without violence and without being disrespected.
Juliana Araújo, re-elected mayor of Morro do Chapéu by the PDT
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