In a new video, researchers from the project Making Politics Safer examine how violence against women in politics increasingly unfolds online and at the local level, with serious consequences for democratic participation.

Based on research External link, opens in new window. from Ghana, Kenya and Zimbabwe, the video shows how women in local politics face systematic intimidation, including sexualised online harassment, degrading comments and the circulation of doctored images on platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook. These attacks often extend to women’s families, intensifying the pressure to withdraw from political life. At the local level, women candidates are also exposed to threats of physical and sexual violence and other forms of intimidation aimed at keeping political power out of women’s hands.

The researchers describe these experiences as gendered electoral violence (GEV). The video accompanies the book Making Politics Safer – Mitigating violence against women in politics in Africa: insights from Ghana, Kenya and Zimbabwe External link, opens in new window., published in NAI’s Current African Issues series and based on 134 interviews with politically active women. Together, the video and publication show how GEV undermines democratic competition.

The video also presents concrete recommendations for policymakers, emphasising the need for legal reforms, stronger accountability within political parties, and policies that address online violence as a political – not merely personal – problem.