Addressing Violence Against
Women in Politics: A Theory of
Change Approach
Kirsten Zeiter
Program Officer, Gender, Women and
Democracy
National Democratic Institute (NDI)
Rutgers University, 22 May 2017
Overview
•
This paper examines violence against women
in politics (VAW-P) through a theory of
change framework
• NDI’s #NotTheCost program on VAW-P has
drawn from in-country practitioner
experience in collaboration with leading
academics
Theory of Change
● The theory of change is rooted in NDI’s
programmatic experience in increasing women’s
political participation and empowerment.
● Program and policy interventions need to address
barriers that exist at three levels: the individual, the
institutional, and the socio-cultural.
● Women’s equal and active participation contributes
significantly to inclusive, resilient and accountable
democracy.
Theory of Change
Institutional
Individual
Socio-Cultural
What is Violence Against Women in
Politics (VAW-P)?
•VAW-P has 3 distinct characteristics:
–Targets women because of their gender
–Can be gendered in its form
–Discourages women in particular from being or becoming
politically active
•It includes persistent harassment, psychological abuse – both
increasingly online – physical and sexual assault, economic
violence
•One of the most serious hurdles to women’s full and equal
political participation.
• Has chilling effects on the ambitions and participation of young
women and women not already in politics
•Undermines the quality and integrity of democracy itself.
Theory of Change Application to
VAW-P
•The theory of change approach can help to identify the root
causes of an issue, as the necessary first step in the design of a
program or policy intervention.
•Operationalizing the theory of change: examining the drivers of
VAW-P, thinking through how they manifest as barriers to
women’s political empowerment; and designing programs to
remove those barriers.
–Our VAW-E toolkit is one example
•Once root causes have been identified at each of the three
levels, the next step in program design is to identify
interventions that address and overcome those root causes
Theory of Change Application to
VAW-P
•Individual level
– Knowledge of what constitutes VAW-P, how to recognize it
– Access to resources, tools or connections that would otherwise provide
support.
– Interventions: undertake to increase awareness and understanding of
VAW-P
•Institutional level
–Absence of laws or policies that criminalize violence against women and
defend victims of violence
–Absence of rules or structures addressing violence against women
within political institutions.
–Backlash effect
•Socio-cultural level
–Deeply rooted in traditional gender norms - a break with the accepted
norms for political leadership can lead to resistance as VAW-P
–Normalization of violence in general, and of violence against women in
particular has to be examined.
Thank You!