Over 100 influential figures involved in the electoral process, including political party leaders, NGOs supporting women’s rights, law enforcement, female candidates from different political parties, and young gender activists, gathered in Maputo under the theme “Elections YES, Violence against women NO!’’.
The UNDP Democracy and Elections project, UN Women, and various CSOs organized the event to brainstorm, exchange ideas, and strategize on ways to prevent and reduce violence against women during elections (VAWE).
The seminar commenced with speeches from the President of the Elections Commission, the Ambassador of Spain, representatives from the Norwegian Embassy and the Canadian High Commission, and the UN Women Country Representative and UNDP’s CTA for Democracy and Elections.
The participants emphasized the importance of widespread awareness campaigns to educate the public on how to prevent and reduce VAWE. One of the attendees noted in the summary of the event, “We suggest conducting a gender audit of the municipal elections on October 11, 2023, and launching mass awareness campaigns on violence against women during elections and strategies to prevent and mitigate such violence.”
Despite progress, challenges persist. Women’s involvement in politics and electoral processes, whether as voters, candidates, civic educators, or political leaders, has never been higher.
United Nations statistics reveal that women held over 10,000 seats in national parliaments globally in 2018, millions led at the provincial level, and more women voted, stood as candidates, and actively participated in electoral management worldwide. Similarly, Mozambique’s STAE reported a similar trend since the country’s first general and multiparty elections in 1994. For instance, 2019 voter registration data indicated a higher percentage of registered female voters than male.
