Albanian Women in Politics Still Suffering Violence, Study Finds

The findings of a study on "Violence against women in politics", conducted by UNDP in cooperation with Albania's Ombudsman and Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination, were published on Wednesday at a roundtable held in the Albanian parliament.

Based on interviews with women politicians and analysis, the study identifies various forms of violence against women in Albanian politics, such as contempt and offensive language.

They include interruptions, dirty jokes, false accusations in the media, threats, questioning the abilities of women or removing them from party candidate lists without explanation.

According to the study, women in politics in Albania characterize the violence they experience is often "invisible, insidious and difficult to deal with".

One woman interviewed on condition of anonymity said that three years ago she had learned through a phone call that she was a candidate for a party, just two hours before the names were to be announced.

"It's already been decided who will be the chairman, you will be a doll (puppet)," she was told. "I said I do not accept this kind of situation. I'm not a doll. Anyone who thinks I can be a doll is wrong," she had replied.

Another woman saw her name removed from the list of MPs without explanation. "Psychological abuse is when you compete but leave the race and no one gives you an explanation why you left… I was a candidate in the last parliamentary elections. I filled out the self-declaration form but … my name was removed," she was quoted as saying.

Women politicians said party leaders often seem supportive of women in public but threaten and discriminate against them behind the scenes.

The study gathered data through face-to-face interviews, focus...