Female Political Leadership and Legislation Against Gender- Based Violence: What is the Link?

Gender based violence, in any of its forms, such psychological abuse, sexual harassment, or child marriage, among many others has been experienced by almost one third of women in the world. Recent worldwide events have made this form of violence more visible and legally and socially punished. Covid-19 pandemic showed the fragility of women locked in with their prosecutors, and the invasion of Ukraine by Russia shed light to the violence against women and their families in a war context.

Although its visibility is growing and is, therefore, becoming less socially acceptable, GBV is a very complex phenomenon that requires to be tackled from all possible sides, from the legal, educational, or social perspective. Eradicating all forms of GBV is a global responsibility. The role of governments in creating and implementing legal frameworks and commitments to reduce GBV is essential to build a safety net for survivors/victims. However, although most governments have policies and regulation against the different forms of GBV, these frames vary across countries, offering a variety of responses to a similar problem.

The masculinization of leadership roles in governments and the uneven level responses and policies to stop and reduce GBV brings the question of the relevance and effectiveness of political leadership in tackling this violence against women. In this study, we try to address this question: is there any link between female political leadership and the relevance of the legal frame to reduce GBV?