The World's Five Most Dangerous Countries For Women

The World's Five Most Dangerous Countries for Women



1 Afghanistan - health, non-sexual violence, discrimination

2 Congo - sexual violence, health, discrimination

3 Pakistan - cultural, non-sexual violence, discrimination

4 India - cultural, trafficking, discrimination

5 Somalia - cultural, health, discrimination



Issues - health, discrimination, cultural, sexual violence, non-sexual violence, trafficking



1 Afghanistan



"Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. That aside, it is also a context that gives a woman minimal opportunity for education, health access, reproductive health choice, etc. The lack of hope of the situation of women improving in the near futures, as opposed to countries such as Sierra Leone and Souther Sudan, makes the situation comparatively even worse."

-Dhammika Perera, International Rescue Committee



87% of Afghan women are illiterate

Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)



1/11 an Afghan woman's chance of dying in childbirth

UNICEF, State of the World's Children



70%-80% of Afghan women face forced marriages

IRIN, Afghanistan: Women's hopes for equality fade



2 Congo



"The levels of sexual violence and rape in the DRC are simply the highest in the world...This is a tragedy of epic proportions-and the women's movement needs to be doing a lot more to bring this issue onto the international agenda."

-Keshet Bachan, Plan International



1152 women are raped in Congo every day

American Journal of Public Health, Estimates and Determinants of Sexual Violence Against Women in the Democratic Republic of Congo



57% of Pregnant women are Anaemic

The World Bank, Nutrition at a Glance - DRC



0 the number of legal acts wives can sign without their husband's authorization

Social Institution & Gender Index, Gender Equality and Social Institutions in Congo



3 Pakistan



"Pakistani women are left with little, if any, protection from violence and discrimination. In addition to Pakistani laws being discriminatory, the judicial system condones and exacerbates the problem by failing to view violence against women as a serious violation of women's human rights."

-Noreen Haider, Madadgar Trust for Research and Development



90% of women experience domestic violence in their lifetimes

Human Rights Watch, Crime or Custom? Violence Against Women in Pakistan



82% how much less women earn than men

UNDP, Human Development Report 2010



1000+ women and girls are victims of honor killings every year

Human Rights Commission Pakistan, quoted by UNHCR



4 India



"Girls from rural villages taken to cities on the promise of jobs and wages are sold to brothels. Even when they do escape or are rescued they can be rejected from their own families and left destitute. It's under-reported. There is also bonded slavery still in existence."

-Mandy Marshall, Tearfund



100M mostly women and girls are estimated to be involved in trafficking in India

Former Indian Home Secretary, Madukar Gupta



44.5% of Girls are married before the age of 18

ICRW (2010), Analysis of Demographic and Health Survey data



50M girls are 'missing' in the past century due to female infanticide and foeticide

United National Population Fund



5 Somalia



"If I was asked where is the most dangerous place to be a woman I would have said, with certainty, Somalia."

-Maryan Qasim, Somali Minister for Women's Development and Family Welfare



95% of girls face genital mutilation, mostly between ages of 4 and 11

UNICEF Somalia



7.5% of Parliament seats are held by women

UNDP, Human Development Report 2010



9% of women give birth in a health facility

UNICEF, State of the World's Children The World's Five Most Dangerous Countries for Women THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION AFGHANISTAN PAKISTAN ISSUES A Health CONGO * Discrimination INDIA 4 Cultural Sexual violence SOMALIA Non-sexual violence S Trafficking 1 AFGHANISTAN "Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. That aside, it is also a context that gives a woman minimal opportunity for education, health access, reproductive health choice, etc. The lack of hope of the situation of women improving in the near future, as opposed to countries such as Sierra Leone and Southern Sudan, makes the situation comparatively even worse." -Dhammika Perera, International Rescue Committee 1/11 87% AN AFGHAN WOMAN'S CHANCE OF DYING IN CHILDBIRTH UNICEF, State of the World's Children *70%-80% OF AFGHAN WOMEN ARE ILLITERATE Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) OF AFGHAN WOMEN FACE FORCED MARRIAGES IRIN, AFGHANISTAN: Women's hopes for equality fade CONGO 2 "The levels of sexual violence and rape in the DRC are simply the highest in the world..This is a tragedy of epic proportions-and the women's movement needs to be doing a lot more to bring this issue onto the international agenda." -Keshet Bachan, Plan International 1152 WOMEN ARE RAPED IN CONGO EVERY DAY American Jourmal of Public Health, Estimates and Determinants of SexualViolence Against Women in the Democratic Republic of Congo 57% OF PREGNANT WOMEN THE NUMBER OF LEGAL ACTS WIVES CAN ARE ANAEMIC SIGN WITHOUT THEIR HUSBAND'S AUTHORISATION The World Bank, Nutrition at a Glance - DRC Social Institutions & Gender Index, Gender Equality and Social Institutions in Congo 3 PAKISTAN "Pakistani women are left with little, if any, protection from violence and discrimination. In addition to Pakistani laws being discriminatory, the judicial system condones and exacerbates the problem by failing to view violence against women as a serious violation of women's human rights." -Noreen Haider, Madadgar Trust for Research and Development *82% HOW MUCH LESS WOMEN EARN THAN MEN 90% 1000 UNDP, Human Development Report 2010 OF WOMEN EXPERIENCE DOMESTIC WOMEN AND GIRLS ARE VICTIMS VIOLENCE IN THEIR LIFETIMES OF HONOUR KILLINGS EVERY YEAR Human Rights Watch, Crime or Custom? Violence Against Women in Pakistan Human Rights Commission Pakistan, quoted by UNHCR *100M INDIA 4 "Girls from rural villages taken to cities on the promise of jobs and MOSTLY WOMEN AND GIRLS ARE ESTIMATED wages are sold to brothels. Even when they do escape or are rescued TO BE INVOLVED IN TRAFFICKING IN INDIA they can be rejected from their own families and left destitute. It's Former Indian Home Secretary, Madhukar Gupta under-reported. There is also bonded slavery still in existence." - Mandy Marshall, Tearfund 44.5% 50M OF GIRLS ARE MARRIED BEFORE GIRLS ARE 'MISSING' IN THE PAST CENTURY THE AGE OF 18 DUE TO FEMALE INFANTICIDE AND FOETICIDE ICRW (2010), Analysis of Demographic and Health Survey data United National Population Fund 5 SOMALIA "If I was asked where is the most dangerous place to be a woman I would have sald, with certainty, Somalia." -Maryan Qasim, Somali Minister for Women's Development and Family Welfare 7.5% OF PARLIAMENT SEATS ARE HELD BY WOMEN '95% UNDP, Human Development Report 2010 OF GIRLS FACE GENITAL MUTILATION, OF WOMEN GIVE BIRTH IN MOSTLY BETWEEN AGES OF 4 AND 11 A HEALTH FACILITY UNICEF Somalia UNICEF, State of the World's Children REUTERS/Finbar O'Reilly REUTERS/Desmond Boylan REUTERS/Akhtar REUTERS/Finbar O Reilly REUTERS/Caren Firouz