Abstract

KROOK, Mona Lena  and  RESTREPO SANIN, Juliana. Violence Against Women in Politics. A Defense of the Concept. Polít. gob [online]. 2016, vol.23, n.2, pp.459-490. ISSN 1665-2037.

The phenomenon of violence against women in politics is gaining growing and urgent attention from actors around the globe. Piscopo (2016) criticizes emerging theories and strategies to theorize and combat this problem, arguing that scholars have accepted activist definitions at face value, violence against women in politics is simply a subcategory of violence in politics more generally, weak state capacity and criminal justice systems-the result of incomplete democratic consolidation-explain this phenomenon, these acts of violence do not only violate women's political rights but also other laws, legislation is insufficient given widespread impunity for criminal offenses, and further state actors and policies should be activated to tackle this issue. In response, we argue that nas cent academic studies do bring new tools to bear on definitions of this phenomenon. We maintain that violence against women in politics is distinct from violence in politics, seeking to prevent women's participation as women. Worryingly, this problem is present in all regions of the world, not just Latin America, although context may influence the content and prevalence of different categories of violent acts. This violence is more than a criminal issue, posing a serious challenge to democracy, human rights, and gender equality-such that even ineffective laws can play an important normative role in validating these acts as a "problem". Solutions, finally, should not only be pursued by the state, but instead engage a host of different actors. Although debates continue, we conclude that scholars and activists should not abandon the concept of violence against women in politics, but rather, should work together to bring this problem into focus and ensure that men and women are able to participate in politics equally without fear of violence.

Keywords : gender; political violence; Latin America.

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