UN calls for safe, inclusive, meaningful participation of women in elections

The United Nations office in Bangladesh has called for ensuring the safe, inclusive, and meaningful participation of women ahead of the 13th parliamentary election and referendum to be held tomorrow, Thursday.

The UN office in Bangladesh reiterated this call in a statement on its verified Facebook page around at 2:00 pm today, Wednesday.

It said as Bangladesh prepares for the 13th National Parliamentary Election on 12 February, the UN underscores that safe, inclusive and meaningful participation in public life is a fundamental right.

This includes the rights of all women and girls, including women with disabilities, women from minority communities, gender diverse people, and others who may face heightened barriers, discrimination or gender-based violence.

Ahead of the election, the UN notes concerns raised by women’s groups and civil society organisations on violence and harassment of women candidates and voters, including digital violence.

Women in public life, including political leaders, activists, journalists, and human rights defenders, are reporting increased incidents of cyberbullying, deepfakes, coordinated harassment, and image-based abuse, including AI-altered and sexualised content, the statement added.

The UN has consistently advocated for women’s meaningful representation and leadership with all stakeholders and is supporting the Bangladesh Election Commission to boost women’s electoral participation and representation. It is essential that all voters, including women, can participate as candidates and voters without intimidation, discrimination, online abuse or fear of reprisals.

The UN calls on all stakeholders, including political leaders and their parties and supporters, to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to intimidation, harassment, and any other form of violence against women throughout the electoral process.

This applies equally to women candidates and voters, whose participation and safety are essential to inclusive democratic processes.

The UN are confident that authorities will continue to take steps to uphold security and the rule of law, and to ensure the safety and rights of every individual, and remains committed to supporting the authorities to ensure the safety and rights of every individual, it added.