Electoral violence subverts basic standards for democratic elections — a cornerstone of democratic governance, the National Democratic Institute notes. The effects, or even merely the threat, of violence, can undermine the legitimacy of electoral results and broader political processes, because it stops citizens from exercising their right to participate.
Violence against women in elections is a particular form of electoral violence, motivated by a desire to prevent women as women from participating in the electoral process, and which sees women attacked simply for daring to enter or participate in elections.
For nearly three decades, NDI has worked with local nonpartisan citizen election observers to mitigate violence and encourage peace. Observers play a crucial role in forecasting, monitoring, mitigating and mediating political conflict — including violence against women. NDI has continued this work, in close collaboration with citizen observation groups around the world, to develop and test new strategies to address violence against women in elections that are relevant to their experience and expertise.
From this work, NDI is proud to launch Votes Without Violence. This toolkit presents detailed guidance and a set of practical tools and resources for observers to raise awareness about violence against women in elections, improve the way this violence is tracked and ultimately, prevented.
Please follow the link below to read and download the toolkit; and please share and join the conversation using the hashtag #VotesWithoutViolence.
Read the Votes without violence toolkit
