CWP releases Anti-Harassment policy guidelines for parliaments

Caribbean: The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) chain has originated its new Anti-Harassment Policy Guidelines to assist Parliaments across the Commonwealth in the attempt to both address and remove all traces of harassment over parliamentary workplaces. The CWP is a network of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and these guidelines will be given to the CPA’s membership of about 180 Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures.

The Anti-Harassment Policy Guidelines outline harassment as “unwanted behaviour directed at an individual with the purpose or intent of humiliating, disrespecting, intimidation, hurting or offending them.” They have been planned to encourage all Parliaments regardless of their experiences to support and uphold a zero-tolerance strategy to harassment, which could involve, but is not limited to, a wide range of unwanted sexual, discriminatory, physical and psychological behaviours or actions.

Pulling from a wide range of anti-harassment policies and schemes from Parliaments in the Commonwealth, these guidelines present a comprehensive step-by-step approach that gives insights and case studies on what suitable methods should be included when generating or updating their individual anti-harassment policies.

The CWP Chairperson, Shandana Gulzar Khan, MNA (Pakistan) said that “At the 6th Triennial CWP Conference, held in the margins of the 64th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Uganda in 2019, the issue of bullying and harassment in the workplace was described as a serious issue which required to be tackled across the Commonwealth and exceeding. The disastrous consequences of this unacceptable behaviour are far-reaching. As both a apparent and symbolic institution, all Parliaments must display leadership and set an excellent standard for all by using a proactive role in having such policies in square.” The CWP Chairperson also stated that “both the CPA and the CWP network will proceed to work with all 180 Parliaments and Legislatures described in the CPA’s membership to fight harassment in all its form.”

The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) is the network of women Members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s Parliaments and Legislatures and the system is marking its 30th anniversary in 2019. The CWP network provides a method of building the capacity of women elected to Parliament to be more efficient in their roles, increasing the awareness and capacity of all Parliamentarians, male and female, and assisting them in including a gender perspective in all phases of their role - legislation, oversight and representation - and supporting Parliaments to transform gender-sensitive systems. The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) was established in 1989 to expand the number of female elected legislators in Parliaments and legislatures over the Commonwealth and to assure that women’s issues are brought to the fore in parliamentary discussion and legislation.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), now in its 109th year, endures developing, promoting and to support Parliamentarians and their team to recognise benchmarks of good governance and to implement the permanent values of the Commonwealth. The CPA is a global community of over 180 Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures operating collectively to deepen the Commonwealth’s dedication to the highest norms of democratic governance. The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Executive Committee is the main governing body of the Association and involves Commonwealth Chairmen and Members of Parliament.