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News & Events Event Reports

Women Mayors on the Frontlines: Closing the Gaps in Responses to Gender-Based Hate, Harassment and Intimidation

Publication Date:
25/06/2026
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Empowering Women LeadersGender-based harassmentgender-based threatsGender-Based ViolenceWomen Mayors

— 15 minutes reading time

This report provides a summary of discussions during the webinar and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Strong Cities Network Management Unit, Strong Cities members, event sponsors or participants.

Summary

On 25 June 2026, the Strong Cities Network, convened the second of two European consultation webinars under the Strong Cities Women’s Caucus initiative: Women Mayors on the Frontlines: Gender-Based Hate, Harassment and Democratic Resilience in European Cities. 

The session, titled Closing the Gaps: Building Practical Responses and Toolkit Priorities, brought together women local leaders, city networks, municipal practitioners and experts from across Europe to examine what support currently exists for women local leaders facing hate, harassment and intimidation, where institutional gaps remain, and what practical tools should be included in the forthcoming Strong Cities toolkit to support responses to hate and harassment targeting women local leaders at the individual, city government and community levels. 

Building on the first consultation held on 11 June, which focused on threats, experiences and emerging responses, this second webinar shifted the discussion toward practical prevention and response. Speakers reflected on mentoring and peer support, city-level protocols, support networks, digital safety, legal and psychological support, bystander training, institutional responsibility and the need for clearer pathways for women local leaders and their teams or other colleagues when abuse or intimidation occurs. 

Opening the session, Strong Cities Senior Adviser, Kate Nelson, recalled the key message from the first consultation: hate, harassment and intimidation targeting women local leaders is not only a matter of individual safety or personal resilience. It affects democratic participation, public trust, civic debate, representation, and the ability of women local leaders to carry out their roles visibly and safely. The second consultation therefore asked a central question: what should be in place so that the responsibility for prevention and response does not sit only with individual women? 

Speakers

City Networks and Institutional Responses

Women Local Leaders in Conversation

Key Takeaways

Key Themes

Opening the consultation, Charlotte Moeyens, Chief of Staff of the Strong Cities Network, framed the discussion within Strong Cities’ broader initiative to Safeguard and Elevate Women Local Leaders in Building and Maintaining Strong Cities. She noted that women mayors, councillors and other local leaders are often on the frontline of responding to community tensions, rebuilding trust and maintaining social cohesion. At the same time, many face escalating levels of hate, harassment and intimidation, both online and offline. These attacks are often deeply personal, rooted in misogyny, sexualised abuse and threats to family members.

Charlotte stressed that the issue cannot be treated only as a matter of personal resilience. Hate and harassment targeting women local leaders affects democratic participation, public trust, civic debate and local governance capacity. The consultation was designed to better understand what women local leaders across Europe are experiencing, how these dynamics are evolving, what responses are emerging and where critical gaps remain.

The webinar built on an April 2026 Strong Cities in-person convening at the Annenberg Trust Foundation at Sunnylands in California, United States, where women local leaders from North America and beyond discussed similar challenges. A clear message from that convening was that women leaders are too often expected to absorb harassment, adapt their behaviour or become more resilient, while responsibility should instead sit with institutions, systems and communities.

Women’s Political Leadership Requires More than Representation 

Guillem Ramirez shared learnings from Eurocities’ work on women’s political leadership, including its pilot mentoring programme for women councillors. He noted that while women remain underrepresented in local elected office, representation alone is not enough. Women must also be able to influence decisions, exercise leadership with confidence and participate in political life with genuine power. 

He highlighted the importance of safe and trusted spaces where women at the beginning of their political careers can receive support from more experienced women leaders. These spaces were particularly valuable when linked to concrete political or policy goals, such as preparing for elections, navigating party processes, building confidence in policy proposals and learning how to operate within political environments that were not designed with women in mind. 

The Eurocities experience also pointed to the need for early-career training in public administration, public speaking, political negotiation and institutional navigation. Participants in the mentoring programme valued not only one-to-one support, but also opportunities to learn collectively from senior women leaders and peers. The discussion also emphasised that support for women in politics must be understood intersectionally, recognising that hostility and exclusion often affect women alongside other underrepresented groups, including migrants, ethnic and religious minorities, LGBTQ+ leaders and people from different class backgrounds. 

City of Milan (Italy): Building networks, protocols and practical pathways of support 

Councillor Diana Alessandra De Marchi shared reflections from the Metropolitan City of Milan’s long-standing work on equal opportunities, anti-discrimination and prevention of gender-based violence. She stressed that hate, harassment and intimidation targeting women in public roles are not only individual problems, but democratic problems. When women in public office are delegitimised, insulted or threatened because they are women, it affects not only the individual leader, but also the pluralism and quality of democratic life. 

Milan’s response has focused on building territorial networks that connect local authorities, anti-violence centres, schools, third sector organisations, health services, law enforcement, justice actors and civic associations. Councillor De Marchi emphasised that no institution can address these issues alone. Instead, effective support requires stable relationships, shared expertise, clear protocols and coordinated pathways that reduce fragmentation and prevent women from having to navigate systems alone. 

The Milan model was presented as relevant not only for responding to gender-based violence in private or public life, but also for thinking about how women local leaders should be supported when facing online attacks, sexist abuse, harassment or intimidation. Women in public office need to know where they can turn, what protection mechanisms exist, which institutions can be activated, and how their experiences will be received and addressed. 

Councillor De Marchi also highlighted the importance of prevention. Violence and hostility do not emerge in isolation, but are rooted in stereotypes, inequality and cultures of domination that shape public debate and institutional environments. In Milan, this has led to regular training and education on respect, anti-discrimination and equality within the administration. She also stressed the importance of digital safety, including guidance on collecting evidence, reporting procedures, communications support and legal guidance. 

In the discussion, Councillor De Marchi further explained Milan’s use of both formal and informal networks. Formal networks bring together institutional actors, including security, legal, psychological and social support services, while informal networks connect associations and community-based actors across the metropolitan area. These networks help bridge the gap between institutions and communities, ensuring that people know what support exists and can access it without judgement. 

The experience of entering political life 

Councillor Tatjana Pantić, who entered local political life only two years ago. Her reflections highlighted the challenges facing women who are newer to politics, particularly in contexts where political life remains heavily male-dominated and where women carry multiple responsibilities across professional work, public office and family life. 

She described the difficulty of balancing a primary profession, elected office and household responsibilities, noting that men often have more time to build informal networks and make political deals outside formal settings. For women, especially in local politics where public and private life are closely connected, political exposure can quickly become personal. 

Councillor Pantić described a lack of structural support for new women councillors, including limited guidance on municipal budgeting, local bylaws and political procedures. She also highlighted the psychological impact of becoming a public figure overnight, particularly in one’s own city, where criticism, rumours and pressure can affect daily life, family and professional relationships. 

Her contribution identified several gaps that should inform future support: 1) cross-party training for new women local leaders; 2) coaching on how to handle aggressive local reporting and public confrontation; 3) legal and counselling support; 4) protocols for responding to digital stalking, cyberbullying and coordinated character attacks; and 5) better awareness of existing laws on discrimination and gender equality. She also called for mentoring by former women local officials, flexible work arrangements and gender-responsive budgeting that recognises the practical costs women face when serving in local public office, including childcare and support for preparation. 

City of Dublin (Ireland): making support visible and relevant to elected women 

Councillor Cat O’Driscoll shared reflections from Dublin City Council, focusing on women’s safety, public participation and the importance of learning across cities. She pointed to hybrid meetings as one practical measure that, although introduced during the pandemic for broader reasons, has had important safety and accessibility benefits. Hybrid participation can support carers, people who are unwell and those experiencing violence or safety concerns that make leaving home difficult. 

Councillor O’Driscoll also highlighted the importance of privacy protections for elected officials. In Ireland, she noted, candidates were until recently required to publish their home address on the ballot. While this has been softened, the issue remains an important example of how electoral systems can expose women leaders and their families to unnecessary risk. 

She described Dublin City Council’s Women’s Committee as a formal structure that provides administrative support, access to funding and a monthly space for cross-party work. While informal networks can be valuable, the formal status of the committee gives it additional capacity and visibility. Councillor O’Driscoll also spoke about the importance of making support systems visible before they are needed. After experiencing a physical assault in Dublin city centre, she found that community and peer support existed but was not immediately visible until she shared what had happened. 

The Dublin contribution also raised the need for responses tailored specifically to elected women. Existing advice and support following violence or harassment may not reflect the realities of public office. Generic safety advice can place the burden back on women to modify their behaviour, rather than addressing the structural and institutional conditions that allow abuse to occur. 

Councillor O’Driscoll also emphasised the need to empower allies, particularly men within councils and political institutions. She described examples of male colleagues recognising interruptions or unequal treatment but not always knowing how to intervene. Dublin’s Women’s Committee is therefore looking at training for all councillors, including men, on harassment, bystander awareness and how to better support both women colleagues and constituents. 

Toolkit priorities

The consultation generated several practical recommendations for the forthcoming Strong Cities toolkit. These included: 

Next Steps

The second European consultation reaffirmed that hate, harassment and intimidation targeting women mayors and other local leaders is a democratic governance challenge that requires collective, institutional and practical responses. Participants called for tools that are clear, adaptable and useful across different local contexts, from large metropolitan cities to smaller municipalities with limited resources. 

Insights from both European consultations will inform the development of the forthcoming Strong Cities toolkit, to be released at the Strong Cities Seventh Global Summit in Rabat (Morrocco) in early 2027. Over the next few months, Strong Cities will continue to engage women local leaders, city networks, municipal practitioners and relevant partners to ensure the toolkit reflects lived experience, promising practice and the practical support needs of women leaders and their teams. 

As the consultation closed, participants emphasised the importance of continuing to build a community of women local leaders and allies committed to ensuring that women can participate in public life without fear, isolation or the expectation that they alone must carry the burden of responding to hate and harassment. 

Additional Resources

Contact Information 

For more information about the Strong Cities Women’s Caucus and this initiative, please contact Lara Petricevic, Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Strong Cities Network, at [email protected].

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