Building A Safer World For Women Leaders

Bengaluru will host the first standalone Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) India Region Conference in the country on November 17 and 18, 2026. Around 150 women MPs, MLAs, members of legislative councils, Speakers and Deputy Speakers from across India, alongside representatives from 15-20 countries, are expected to participate.

With the overarching focus on women's political leadership, the conference will explore closely connected priorities such as safety in the digital and cyberspace environment, and strengthening the legislative skills and leadership capabilities of women representatives.

There was a time when the barriers confronting women in politics were patriarchal attitudes, unequal access to resources, political gatekeeping and the struggle to be heard in male-dominated legislatures. Today, another damaging barrier has emerged, the digital world.

A woman legislator may face an organised online abuse campaign, have her photographs manipulated or become the target of disinformation, all of which are intended to undermine her credibility. Such attacks can discourage younger women from entering politics and ultimately weaken gender representation.

Discussions at the conference will cover cybercrimes against women, online harassment, digital abuse, the misuse of artificial intelligence, deepfake technology, personal information protection and digital privacy. Equally important will be an examination of the specific challenges that elected women representatives encounter in an increasingly digital political environment.

Another focus area is capacity building, including legislative procedures, policymaking, parliamentary debates, leadership development, mentorship and the effective use of technology in legislative functioning.

The Price Of Being A Woman In Public Life

A 2025 study by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, conducted with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, interviewed 150 women parliamentarians and parliamentary staff across 33 countries. It found that 60 per cent of the women parliamentarians surveyed had experienced online gender-based violence, including hate speech, disinformation, image-based abuse and doxing. Digital attacks can be calculated attempts to intimidate women into withdrawing from public life.

For a woman politician, an online attack can spill over into her constituency, family life and professional relationships. Artificial intelligence can now generate convincing but fabricated images, videos and audio recordings, enabling perpetrators to create inappropriate content or make politicians appear to say things they never said. When a woman representative is subjected to sustained humiliation, other women watching may conclude that public life is simply not worth the personal cost.

What Can India Learn From The World?

Several countries have developed specific legal and institutional responses. Costa Rica’s 2022 Law 10235 addresses violence against women in political life, including online violence. It seeks to prevent, punish and eradicate gender-based violence that interferes with women's political rights. This legislation recognises that harassment directed at a woman because of her political participation goes beyond personal misconduct and becomes an attack on her democratic rights. If adopted in India, such a framework could establish dedicated reporting mechanisms, investigations and appropriate protection for women representatives facing coordinated digital attacks.

Mexico’s Olimpia Law movement, which led to legal reforms addressing non-consensual sharing of intimate images, helped bring digital sexual violence into the mainstream legal conversation. Mexico has also developed a framework addressing political violence against women, including digital forms, with electoral consequences for offenders in specified circumstances. The lesson for India is that intimate-image abuse and politically motivated digital harassment are an attack on women's autonomy, dignity and democratic participation.

South Korea has tackled AI-generated sexual abuse through a strengthened legal framework that criminalises not only the distribution of deepfake content, but also its creation and under the expanded provisions, possession and viewing. India must look to replicate this, especially since AI-generated images and manipulated videos circulate rapidly across messaging applications and social media.

The Philippines’ Commission on Elections offers strengthened protections against gender-based harassment during election campaigns by extending safe-space principles to election-related online environments. India could explore similar election-specific safeguards, particularly during campaigning, when coordinated trolling, manipulated content and online intimidation can influence the ability of women candidates to communicate with voters.

Australia, meanwhile, demonstrates the value of having a dedicated institutional mechanism. Its eSafety Commissioner has powers and procedures to address harmful online content, including image-based abuse. The emphasis is on making platforms accountable and giving victims accessible avenues for redress. India could strengthen coordination between cybercrime units, election authorities, women's commissions and digital platforms through a specialised mechanism for technology-facilitated violence against women in public life.

In Finland, women accounted for 46 per cent of its Parliament after the 2023 elections. Its relatively strong representation is supported by a broader culture of political participation, institutional gender-equality commitments and measures such as reforms to parental leave that encourage a more equitable sharing of care responsibilities.

Iceland, consistently ranked among the world's strongest performers on gender equality, ensures women's political participation is sustained through long-term institutional commitment. New Zealand's Harmful Digital Communications Act provides a framework for addressing online harassment and harmful communications, while the European Union's 2024 directive establishes common legal standards against cyberstalking, cyber harassment and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images.

South Africa has incorporated technology-facilitated abuse into its domestic violence legislation, acknowledging that violence does not end when it moves from the physical world to a digital platform. In Rwanda, women occupy 64 per cent of the lower house, which demonstrates the transformative potential of constitutionally guaranteed representation. Bolivia's gender-parity requirements and Portugal's 40 per cent electoral quota show how enforceable rules can change candidate selection.

India's Opportunity

India is not starting from scratch. The Information Technology Act, 2000, the IT Rules, 2021, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provide different layers of protection against cyber offences, privacy violations and sexual abuse. The government has also developed mechanisms such as the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, the 1930 helpline, One Stop Centres and initiatives under Mission Shakti. A government-reported October 2025 standard operating procedure addresses the removal of non-consensual intimate imagery, including through time-bound action and measures to prevent its reappearance.

At the conference at Bengaluru, the participating countries have an opportunity to exchange experiences and develop measurable commitments. However, accessibility and enforcement are key. There must also be greater investment in digital forensics, AI-generated content detection, cybercrime investigation and training for police personnel. Platforms should be required to respond promptly to complaints, preserve relevant evidence and prevent the repeated circulation of abusive material. Structured mentorship programmes could pair experienced legislators with first-time women representatives, regular legislative training, research support and leadership development.

Finally, safeguards must protect freedom of expression and legitimate political criticism. Criticism of a woman politician's decisions or policies is not the same as gendered abuse, sexual threats or fabricated intimate imagery. Laws must distinguish between the two.