Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 July 2020
Violence against women politicians is increasingly recognized as an issue that undermines women's presence in politics. Latin America has been at the vanguard of this global discussion. In 2012, Bolivia became the only country in the world to criminalize “political violence and harassment against women.” Several other countries have similar legislation in the works. What explains the emergence of these bill proposals? This article argues that the creation of these bills is the result of three processes: activism at the local level used international norms to propose an innovative solution to a problem; women politicians and “femocrats” worked within the state apparatus to overcome resistance; and international actors worked to foster connections among activists and politicians across the region. In this process, international norms have been transformed, with important implications for women's political representation.
This article has benefited from the insightful comments from the Politics & Gender editors and three anonymous reviewers that helped me strengthen my argument. I also want to thank Mona Lena Krook, Ann Towns, Kendall Funk, Laura Sjoberg, Aida Hozic, Elizabeth Corredor, Haley Norris, Rebecca Kuperberg, Mary Nugent, Christopher W Shay, Rachel Epstein, and the participants at the Korbel Research Seminar (Josef Korbel School of International Studies) for their valuable advice and comments on earlier drafts. All errors are mine.