With the 2021 General Elections in Peru just around the corner, the election of the President of the Republic having been called for 11 April 2021, this virtual discussion aims to contribute to a space for reflection on the regulatory advances at the national and international level regarding internal democracy with parity, alternation and the financing of political parties with a gender perspective. Within the 8 March framework, the date on which International Women’s Rights Day is celebrated, the Peruvian National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), together with the European Union programme EUROsociAL+, intends to generate a space for reflection around the challenges relating to inclusion and the democratisation of the Peruvian political system, particularly for the women who will be part of the electoral contest.

This study is the result of technical assistance from the Gender Equality area of the EUROsociAL+ Programme that it provided to Peru’s National Office of Electoral Processes. It seeks to explore the advances in the political participation of women in the 2021 General Elections in Peru based on the application of gender parity and alternation. To this end, it begins by recognising the changes in the structure of political organisations through the revision of their statutes and electoral regulations. Research focused on identifying the scope of parity and alternation in the 2020 Internal Elections and during the electoral process of the general elections. Finally, the experiences of twelve former candidates for Congress who participated in the aforementioned elections were collected.

The EUROsociAL+ gender equality policy area is supporting the National Office of Electoral Processes in an action to strengthen the political independence of Peruvian women and the strengthening of parity democracy. In January 2022, the diagnostic document ” Parity and alternation, advances towards parity democracy” was presented at the ONPE in the presence of public institutions and civil society organisations committed to political participation by Peruvian women. Macro-regional workshops began in February, with the aim of generating a culture of parity democracy in political organisations in view of the Internal Elections and the 2022 Regional and Municipal Elections.

After three workshops, the “Regional macro workshop for the construction of a culture of parity democracy in Peru” took place: Workshop in Lima and Callao”

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Since women entered the labour force en masse, they have had to deal with a series of difficulties that have challenged their ability to access and stay in the labour market under equal conditions. These challenges have also affected the women who work in the police forces and security forces of the States; therefore, even though their participation is widespread and formally guaranteed, their presence is relatively recent and limited.

Although there is a set of general and special regulations that formally protect the right to equal opportunities between women and men, and that prohibit all forms of discrimination, in practice women, especially those in the police forces, still face a series of challenges linked to their gender, which hinder full exercise of their right to participate and work in these spaces.

Since 2021, the Gender Equality Policies area has been assisting the Peruvian Ministry of the Interior in the creation of a mechanism for tracking and monitoring sexual harassment within the National Police of Peru.

The proposed activities include the present exchange of experiences on good practices in the implementation of policies and mechanisms aimed at reducing and eliminating discrimination and gender-based violence within the police forces and security forces, particularly sexual harassment.

It will be attended by the following:

1. Fabiola Baca Moreno, General Director of the Police Ombudsman of the Ministry of the Interior, Peru.
2. Stella Baracaldo Méndez, External Advisor for the educational qualification processes of agents of the Secretariat of Security, Coexistence and Justice of the Secretariat of Security of the Mayor’s Office of Bogotá, Colombia.
3. Carolina Justo von Lurzer, former National Director of Gender Policies of the Argentine Ministry of National Security.
4. Anna Almécija Casannova, Criminologist and Jurist, Equality Agent. Expert in incorporating the gender perspective in security. Associate professor at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia.
5. Katherine Herrera Aguilar, Political Scientist and internationalist member of the Network of Strategic Studies on Security and Defence, Ecuador Chapter.
6. Patricia Gómez, Deputy Director of the Postgraduate Course on Gender and Law at the Law School of the University of Buenos Aires and member of the Gender in Justice Observatory of the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The gender equality policy area of the EU EUROsociAL+ Programme supports the National Office of Electoral Processes in an action to strengthen the political autonomy of Peruvian women and strengthen parity democracy. In January 2022, the diagnostic document “Parity and alternation, advances towards a parity democracy” was presented in the ONPE auditorium in the presence of public institutions and civil society organisations committed to the political participation of Peruvian women. On 21 February, macro-regional workshops began with the aim of generating a culture of parity democracy in political organisations in view of the Internal Elections and the 2022 Regional and Municipal Elections.

Four of the five workshops have already been held: in the CENTRO, SOUTH, NORTH macro-region and in LIMA. This fifth meeting, in the EAST micro-region, will be the last. From this experience, it is planned to create a tool that systematises the experience of territorialisation of parity democracy.

El área de políticas de igualdad de género del Programa UE EUROsociAL+ acompaña a la Oficina Nacional de Procesos Electorales en una acción para fortalecer la autonomía política de las mujeres peruanas y el fortalecimiento de la democracia paritaria. En enero de 2022 se presentó el documento diagnostico “Paridad y alternancia, avances hacia una democracia paritaria” en el auditorio de la ONPE, en presencia de instituciones públicas y organizaciones de la sociedad civil comprometidas con la participación política de las mujeres peruanas. El 21 de febrero se comenzaron talleres macro regionales con el objetivo de generar una cultura de democracia paritaria en las organizaciones políticas de cara a las Elecciones Internas y las Elecciones Regionales y Municipales 2022.

Ya se desarrollaron dos de los talleres y han contado con altos números de participación: en el taller llevado adelante en la región CENTRO, Huancayo, han participado 53 personas de manera presencial y 313 de manera virtual. En el taller para la región SUR, la presencia virtual llego a 180 personas.
El 14 de marzo se llevara adelante el taller en la región NORTE, en la región de Piura, de manera semi-presencial. Este encuentro se enmarcara además en la conmemoración del 8 de marzo, razón por la cual se ha decidido abrir la participación a todas las personas interesadas. La Autonomía política de las mujeres es de vital importancia para alcanzar la igualdad de género y desde la ONPE y EUROsociAL+ se ha decidido echar luz a estos derechos en particular.

The gender equality policy area of the EU EUROsociAL+ Programme supports the National Office of Electoral Processes in an action to strengthen the political autonomy of Peruvian women and strengthen parity democracy. In January 2022, the diagnostic document “Parity and alternation, advances towards a parity democracy” was presented in the ONPE auditorium in the presence of public institutions and civil society organisations committed to the political participation of Peruvian women. On 21 February, macro-regional workshops began with the aim of generating a culture of parity democracy in political organisations in view of the Internal Elections and the 2022 Regional and Municipal Elections.

Two workshops have already been held with high participation. At the workshop in the CENTRO region, Huancayo, 53 people participated in person and 313 virtually. In the workshop for the SOUTH region, there were 180 virtual attendees.
On March 14, the workshop will be held in the NORTH region, in the Piura region, partly in person. This meeting will also be part of the commemoration of 8 March, which is why it has been decided to open participation to all interested parties. The political independence of women is of vital importance to achieve gender equality and the ONPE and EUROsociAL+ have decided to shed light on these particular rights.