IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 220 

Recognizing violence against women in politics as a global phenomenon and 

supporting women’s full and meaningful participation in political life. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 10, 2023 

Ms. TLAIB (for herself, Ms. PRESSLEY, Ms. OMAR, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, and 

Ms. BUSH) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 

in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing violence against women in politics as a global 

phenomenon and supporting women’s full and meaningful 

participation in political life. 

Whereas women have been on the front lines of social justice 

movements around the world and throughout our Nation’s history; 

Whereas women are underrepresented in politics across the 

globe, comprising only one-quarter of all legislators 

worldwide; 

Whereas women are underrepresented at every level of government in the United States; 


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•HRES 220 IH 

Whereas, despite this disproportionate underrepresentation, 

the presence of women in political institutions, including 

women officeholders and staff with diverse racial, ethnic, 

religious, sexual, and class identities, has increased significantly in the United States in recent years; 

Whereas violence against women is a systemic problem embedded in many aspects of our society, including our 

most esteemed political institutions; 

Whereas violence against women in politics is a specific, gendered phenomenon stemming from a resistance to women’s increased political participation and intending to undermine women as political actors; 

Whereas violence against women in politics occurs at both individual and institutional levels and takes many forms, in 

person and online, including misogynistic verbal attacks, 

sexual harassment, death threats, and economic, psychological, or physical violence meant to discourage women 

from participating fully in the political arena; 

Whereas research shows that violence against women in politics is a global phenomenon; 

Whereas a 2016 United States Agency for International Development (USAID) report revealed the prevalence of violence against women in politics in 40 developing countries 

and outlined steps to combat it; 

Whereas a 2016 Inter-Parliamentary Union survey of women 

parliamentarians from 39 countries found that 81.8 percent of respondents were subjected to psychological violence, 44.4 percent of whom received threats of death, 

rape, beatings, or abduction during their parliamentary 

terms, including threats to kidnap or kill their children; 


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•HRES 220 IH 

Whereas research, including a 2019 report from the National 

Democratic Institute for International Affairs, has shown 

that women candidates and other politically involved 

women are more likely than men to experience abuse and 

harassment on social media platforms; 

Whereas a 2020 report from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue found that both Democratic and Republican women 

officeholders received a higher share of abusive comments 

on social media platforms in comparison to their male 

peers; 

Whereas a 2021 study published by the Wilson Center observed that gendered and sexualized narratives were potent weapons in disinformation campaigns targeting 

women leaders in the United States and abroad; 

Whereas a 2018 Amnesty International report revealed the 

intersectional nature of online, gender-based violence by 

highlighting the experiences of women of color, women 

from ethnic and religious minorities, women with disabilities, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women, and nonbinary individuals; 

Whereas a 2018 report from an expert group meeting convened by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality 

and the Empowerment of Women indicated that women 

of color and women of marginalized communities are disproportionately affected by violence against women in 

politics worldwide; 

Whereas findings from a 2017 survey of United States mayors conducted by 6 political scientists revealed that 

women are more likely than their male counterparts to 

experience physical and psychological abuse; 


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•HRES 220 IH 

Whereas there have been documented instances of violence 

against women in the United States Congress, including 

shootings, assault, sexual harassment, nonconsensual distribution of intimate visual depictions, death threats, and 

sexist verbal attacks; 

Whereas violence against women in politics has been found to 

limit women’s civic engagement as well as discourage and 

discredit women’s political participation; 

Whereas a 2017 USAID report called for increased attention 

to the issue of violence against women in politics as well 

as further research on its manifestation within various 

political contexts, including protests, polling places, campaigns, political parties, and government institutions; and 

Whereas a 2019 report by the Center for American Women 

and Politics noted the presence of violence against women 

in politics during the 2018 midterm elections and called 

for more research to fully understand the prevalence of 

such violence across all levels of government, how other 

identities like race and ethnicity shape experiences of 

gendered abuse and harassment, and how these experiences affect the emergence of female political candidates 

in the United States: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) supports women’s full and meaningful par3 ticipation in political life; 

4 (2) recognizes violence against women in poli5 tics as a form of gender-based violence that is spe6 cific to women’s experiences in the political arena; 

7 (3) recognizes that violence against women in 

8 politics is a global phenomenon and that more reVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:55 Mar 11, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR220.IH HR220

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•HRES 220 IH 

1 search should be conducted to examine the extent 

2 and effects of such violence in the United States; 

3 and 

4 (4) urges the United States Government to 

5 adopt policies that promote women’s political partici6 pation and mitigate violence against women in poli7 tics, in person and online, in the United States and 

8 abroad. 

Æ 


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