More than 60 per cent of women in India, Pakistan and Nepal do not participate in politics due to fear of violence, says a new study.

“Almost 90 per cent of women in these countries feel that violence breaks their resolve to join politics. From our comprehensive review of laws on violence against women, it is clear that none of the three countries has legislation that deals strictly with offenders to prevent violence against women in politics,” said Rebecca Reichmann Tavares, Representative, UN Women’s Office for India, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

The study noted that while the percentage of female voters and women candidates fielded by political parties had increased in all three countries, the percentage of female representatives in national bodies had decreased.

Except for a chosen few female politicians, most of the elected female representatives had a limited or marginal role in important discussions within their political party, said Ranjana Kumari, Director, Centre for Social Research, which conducted the study jointly with UN Women.

Noting that violence against women in politics was rampant in South Asia, the study put the blame on insufficient implementation of laws, lack of support from police and judiciary, low awareness about politics and overall decline in ‘moral’ values.

“Sixty per cent respondents fel​​t that the police do not respect women’s rights and most cases go unreported leading to a higher number of cases of violence against women. Also, violence is rarely reported by the media, and is largely denied by the political system,’ said the study

In India, instances of physical violence, verbal abuse and threat of violence were higher, while women in Pakistan and Nepal reported character assassination as a greater threat.

Women, who are already in politics, said they faced discrimination at all levels, such as not being allowed to make decisions and being sidelined within political parties. Women who belong to political families are perceived as representatives of the elite and controlled by powerful males, which does not serve the purpose of women’s empowerment, said the study, calling for minimum 33 per cent reservation at all levels for women.

The study also called upon all political parties to include more women members in central and selection committees and in Parliamentary committees.

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