A shocking report publicized by the Inter Parliamentary Union identified that even the women parliamentarians are vulnerable to the sexual abuses and harassment. The controversial report is reportedly presented in the IPU’s annual assembly meeting held at Geneva. It is learned that nearly fifty-five women parliamentarians from across the world participated in the survey conducted by the IPU. The disturbing fact is that at least eighty per cent of the women parliamentarians who participated in the survey experienced some kind of sexual or psychological abuse. The report says that some parliamentarians even got rape threats. A member of parliament representing a European country reportedly received at least five hundred rape threats on her social media handle in the small space of four days.
This revelation is a big blow to those people who believes that the European country is the symbol of gender equality and gender freedom. The parliamentarians hailing from Asia and Africa also shared similar experiences exposing the seriousness of the issue. The parliamentarians are considered as the representatives and leaders of the society. Those people who are reading this article must have formulated a question already- ‘if parliamentarians are not safe then what about the under privileged peoples, whom they are representing’. It seems that the IPU chief, Martin Chungong, must have thought in the same way so he raised the same question while hearing the report. This IPU report on the gender equality, safety, and freedom comes at a time when the issues of the sexual violence dominate the US presidential election.
Vignesh
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