Attention Required! | Cloudflare
www.ipu.org
Main Findings
  • Overall, 71% of all respondents, both globally and in the five countries, reported having experienced violence from the public, whether online, offline or both.
  • Violence is heavily concentrated online, with between 65% and 77% of MPs in the five countries reporting online abuse.
  • The most common forms of public intimidation overall reported by MPs are insults and degrading language, the spread of false or misleading information, and threats.
  • Most respondents believe that the situation is deteriorating. In Argentina and the Netherlands, 8 out of 10 MPs reported an increase in violence over the past five years.
  • Online violence is frequently triggered by elections, high-profile legislative debates or polarizing political or cultural issues.
  • Women are more affected than men: 76% of women MPs across the case studies reported exposure to violence, compared to 68% of men.
  • Women are disproportionately affected by gendered and sexualized forms of violence, especially online.
  • MPs who belong to minority or disadvantaged groups – including racial minorities, people with disabilities and LGBTQIA+ communities – face even greater exposure to online violence.

When the public turns hostile: Political violence against parliamentarians