Government Is Undermining Democracy By Not Protecting Women in Politics | Green Party
This week we saw reports of over 70 female councillors across the country being subjected to harassing phone calls of a sexual nature. We stand with our colleagues in every party that has had to suffer this. . .
This week we saw reports of over 70 female councillors across the country being subjected to harassing phone calls of a sexual nature. We stand with our colleagues in every party that has had to suffer this abuse. This however is not new nor surprising but it does beg the question of what is this Government doing to ensure safety to our reps?Green Party Spokesperson for Equality, Cllr Lourda Scott says: "No one should have to accept abuse as the price of serving the public. Yet that is what we see happening, particularly this week, with female councillors targeted all over the country. Unfortunately, despite how shocking this is, it is not an isolated occurrence. Every time a woman in public life is harassed or threatened, it sends a message to other women that they too could be targeted if they step forward. Some will now decide not to run for election. Others will leave politics altogether. That is not good for politics or our communities. This is not just about women, but about undermining democracy. If people who are democratically elected are driven out of public life through fear or intimidation, we all lose. We need diversity for better decision-making, and when diverse voices are being silenced, we all lose. "Green Party Deputy Leader Cllr Hazel Chu adds: "Research into women in local government found that one in three female councillors had experienced sexual harassment while carrying out their public duties. Despite this the current Government has failed to develop a coordinated national response to protect women who choose public service. Artificial intelligence is also rapidly changing the landscape of abuse. Politicians are increasingly being targeted with AI-generated deepfake pornography, cloned voices, manipulated videos. This Government needs to urgently strengthen our legislative framework to explicitly address AI-enabled abuse and we need a standalone National Action Plan on Violence Against Women in Politics with stakeholder buy in and clear objectives, rather than it being a pillar under other action plans. "