Most dangerous countries in the world for women have been named in a 2018 survey by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
India was ranked in first place followed by war-torn Afghanistan and Syria.
Most surprising is that the US was revealed as the tenth most dangerous country for women on the planet.
Around 550 experts on women’s issues were surveyed for the the poll, which was previously carried out in 2011 when the most dangerous countries for women were identified as Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan, India and Somalia.
The experts were asked which five of the 193 United Nations member states were most dangerous for women and the worst for healthcare, economic resources, traditional practices, sexual and non-sexual abuse, and human trafficking.
1. India
Levels of violence against women are very high in India, despite government promises to address the issue after a student was raped and murdered on a bus in Delhi five years ago.
It ranked most dangerous on three issues – the risks women face from sexual violence and harassment, from cultural and traditional practices, and from human trafficking including forced labor, sex slavery and domestic servitude.
2. Afghanistan
Nearly seventeen years after the Taliban was overthrown women still face intense struggles in Afghanistan.
It ranked number one for discrimination and second for cultural traditions which includes acid attacks; female genital mutilation; child marriage; forced marriage; stoning, physical abuse or mutilation as a form of punishment/retribution and female infanticide.
3. Syria
Syria has faced seven years of civil war and came third in the poll.
Syria ranked second for healthcare, which includes general health access to optometrists, dentists, general doctors and specialist doctors who have expertise knowledge in disabilities, diseases or dealing with trauma.
It also ranked third – joint with the US – for sexual violence, which includes rape as a weapon of war; domestic rape; rape by a stranger; the lack of access to justice in rape cases; sexual harassment and coercion into sex as a form of corruption.
4. Somalia
Somalia has been steeped in conflict since 1991.
It was named the third most dangerous country for women in terms of access to healthcare and for putting them at risk of harmful cultural and traditional practices and fifth worst in terms of women having access to economic resources.
5. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia ranked second for discrimination after Afghanistan. This includes job discrimination; an inability to make a livelihood; discriminatory land, property or inheritance rights; a lack of access to education and a lack of access to adequate nutrition.
It came fifth in terms of the risks women face from cultural and religious practices.
6. Pakistan
In sixth place, Pakistan is fourth worst in terms of economic resources and discrimination as well as the risks women face from cultural, religious and traditional practices, including so-called honour killings.
It ranked fifth on non-sexual violence, including domestic abuse.
7. Democratic Republic of Congo
The United Nations has said that millions of people exist in “hellish living conditions” in the DRC. It was polled the second most dangerous country for women when it came to sexual violence.
8. Yemen
Yemen is suffering from a humanitarian crisis, with 22 million people in need of vital aid. It ranked poorly on healthcare, economic resources, risk from cultural and traditional practices, and non-sexual violence.
9. Nigeria
Nigeria has struggled for nine years against Boko Haram militants. It came joint fourth with Russia as the most dangerous country for human trafficking.
10. United States
The US was the only western country to make the top 10. It came joint third with Syria for the risks women face in terms of sexual violence, including rape, sexual harassment, coercion into sex and a lack of access to justice in rape cases. The survey followed the #MeToo campaign where thousands of women came together online to share their stories of sexual harassment or abuse.
