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A new study by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) shows that acts of sexism, abuse and violence against women are widespread in parliaments across Europe, PACE official website reports.

The findings reveal that 85 per cent of women MPs have suffered from psychological violence in parliament; women MPs under 40 are more likely to be harassed; female parliamentary staff endure more sexual violence than female MPs; and that the majority of parliaments don’t have mechanisms to enable women to speak out.

The IPU/PACE study is based on extensive interviews with 123 women from 45 European countries. Of the sample, 81 of the women were MPs and 42 were members of the parliamentary staff. This report follows up and confirms the results of the IPU’s landmark 2016 study, which revealed widespread gender-based harassment in parliaments.

This new report is the first in a series of IPU regional studies that will help build a global picture of sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliaments.

Liliane Maury Pasquier, PACE President, said: “Unfortunately, the study points to a sad reality. The #MeToo movement has not spared the world of politics. As long as inequality between women and men persists, no woman will be safe from violence and harassment. We, women and men in politics, do however have a lever that can turn us into movers of change: the Istanbul Convention – a legal instrument aimed at preventing, protecting, prosecuting and, above all, breaking the sexist pattern.”

Of the women interviewed, 47 per cent said they had received threats of death, rape or beating; 68 per cent had been the target of sexist comments relating to their physical appearance and gender role stereotypes while 25 per cent said they had endured sexual violence.

Social media remained the main channel for threats and harassment with 58 per cent saying they had been the target of online sexist attacks on social networks. European women MPs active in the fight against gender inequality and violence against women were often singled out for attack.

The IPU/PACE report contains a number of practical measures to combat sexism and violence against women in parliaments. These actions include making it clear that sexist behaviour, harassment and gender-based violence in parliament are totally unacceptable; putting in place a confidential complaints and investigation mechanism; and disciplinary sanctions against the perpetrators.