Most Dangerous Countries For Women Revealed

Afghanistan, Congo and Pakistan are the most dangerous countries in the world for women, according to a new study by TrustLaw. The next countries in the top five are India and Somalia.

Over 200 experts around the world, from aid professionals, health workers, policymakers, to journalists, participated in the poll. They were asked to rank countries on issues like overall perception of danger, access to health care, violence, cultural discrimination, and human trafficking.

Although the results of the poll might not come as highly surprising to everyone, the reasons behind the rankings vary greatly, showing us that the risks that affect women’s lives are different everywhere.

Afghani women are most threatened by non-sexual violence and a lack of government support for women’s rights, education and health care, which results in high illiteracy rates, high rates of death during childbirth and a lack, almost absence, of economic rights for women.

That Afghanistan would be ranking highest in this chart also points to the terrible damage politics can do. Before the rule of the Taliban started, Afghanistan was one of the best places in the Middle East for women. In 1978, the Saur revolution led to the declaration of men and women’s equal status and introduced women to politics.

Congolese women also lack decision-making rights in administrative issues but their main concern is the risk of sexual violence. On average, 1,152 Congolese women are raped every day, according to The American Journal of Public Health. The United Nations has gone so far as to call Congo “the rape capital of the world.”

Meanwhile, Pakistani women are at risk because of cultural and religious reasons. More than 1,000 women die in honor killings every year and many more suffer acid attacks and even stoning.

Surveys like this remind us why feminism still matters, and shows us all the different ways in which it needs to express itself. Not one approach is going to solve all these issues and give these women the rights, respect and independence they deserve.

Now more than ever, when so many countries are demanding for their political regimes to be remodeled, the fight continues.

Contact the author here: sedera@morningquickie.com