My research revealed the relentless, sickening abuse towards women politicians – it cannot be left unchecked

The stories I heard were shocking. They included physical threats, intimidation, damage to property, notes slipped under doors, and violent online threats

The abuse of women MPs on the streets of Westminster and online isn’t just about Brexit, or any other area where people have strong views. My research has shown it is just part of a relentless, targeted form of harassment aimed exclusively at women who dare to seek any form of political power.

And it is a growing, global problem; a new normal in the UK, the US and other countries. It has one aim – to stop women from raising their voices.

The video footage of wannabe gilets jaunes surrounding and hurling abuse at MP Anna Soubry was shocking. But it is nothing new. Nor is throwing mud at politicians, and some (hello, Nigel Farage) vehemently defended the right of the public to verbally abuse her.

But that careless, lazy outlook crumbles in face of the evidence.

Last year, I conducted a study of the impact of threats of violence on women in Westminster. One by one, women MPs, peers and activists described to me the abuse they face daily. The stories I heard were shocking. They included physical threats, intimidation, damage to property, notes slipped under doors, and violent online threats.

For some, the abuse started when they were candidates, in a clear attempt to stop them gaining power. One MP told me how during the 2017 election campaign, the windows of her campaign office were smashed, sending a “clear message that someone wants to hurt you.” A few days later, when the now-MP was out canvassing, a man walked into her office and told staff that he was there to kill her. Her brave – and no doubt terrified – team told her not to come back in.

Many female and male MPs felt that members of the public feel entitled to comment online on how women look. As a male MP told me: “Women in public life are at a greater risk of being objectified…. Nobody would tweet me saying how terrible my suit was, or to tell me that I’m looking fat, or that I should dye my hair. It just wouldn’t happen.”

Political journalist Jane Merrick sparked an outpouring of responses from household names when she asked on Twitter last week if fellow female pundits had experienced criticism of their “voice/words/clothes/hair” after TV appearances.

I wasn’t surprised. I was often told how abuse spikes when female MPs make media appearances. One MP told me that, after she appears on Question Time, she has to avoid social media for 24 hours. Another told me that she gets more threats with each appearance on TV.

One deeply depressing finding from my conversations was the sheer ubiquity of rape threats. One female parliamentarian said: “it just happens; it happens to everyone.” Another said: “I get comments calling me an ugly bint, saying I deserve a good raping.”

We know that threatening to rape a woman isn’t really about sexual desire; it’s about power – taking it away from women, and making sure they don’t raise their voices again. The more female MPs dare to voice their opinions, the more vocal their abusers become. At ActionAid, we know from our own work with campaigners around the world that intimidation and harassment are tools used by perpetrators of violence to make their victims feel small, unsupported, and insignificant.

Most of the women MPs I spoke to raised a real concern that police and prosecutors don’t always take accusations of violent and intimidating behaviour seriously.

Shockingly, one parliamentarian was subjected to a campaign of stalking and harassment by one of the other political parties’ own candidates during the 2010 election. Local police finally took notice of the threat when the perpetrator slashed the tyres of her campaign staff. She remembers a policeman remarking – six years before the murder of Jo Cox – “the next thing will be people”.

It’s to the immense credit of female MPs that they won’t be silenced by this torrent of abuse. They won’t be made to feel small – and they won’t allow politics to be a men-only affair.

But if we’re to encourage more women into public life – in the UK and around the world – we urgently need to stem this tide. We need systems to encourage women to become politically active, should they desire – and to get support if they receive abuse. We need to encourage proper, reasoned debate between the public and our representatives.

The abuse aimed at women MPs didn’t spring from Brexit. It’s part of a wider, toxic attempt to deny women a voice, and to keep them out of power. It’s a global problem – and politicians of all stripes, in every country, must address it now.

Delyth Jewell is a women’s rights campaigner at ActionAid UK