The world’s worst place for women

(June 17, 2011) Violence, dismal healthcare and brutal poverty make Afghanistan the world's most dangerous country for women, with Congo a close second due to horrific levels of rape, according to an expert poll released on Wednesday by Thomson Reuters Foundation. Pakistan, India and Somalia ranked third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in the global survey of perceptions of threats ranging from domestic abuse to female foeticide, genital mutilation and acid attacks. The poll by TrustLaw, a legal news service run by Thomson Reuters Foundation of Reuters, a leading news organization, marked the launch of its new TrustLaw Women section, a global hub of news and information on women's legal rights. TrustLaw asked 213 gender experts from five continents to rank countries by overall perceptions of danger as well as by six risks, namely, health threats, sexual violence, non-sexual violence, cultural or religious factors, lack of access to resources and trafficking. Some experts said the poll showed that subtle dangers such as discrimination that don't grab headlines are sometimes just as significant risks for women as bombs, bullets, stoning and systematic rape in conflict zones. Pakistan ranked third largely on the basis of cultural, tribal and religious practices harmful to women, such as acid attacks, child and forced marriage and punishment or retribution by stoning or other physical abuse. India ranked fourth primarily due to female foeticide, infanticide and human trafficking. In 2009, India's then-Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta estimated that 100 million people, mostly women and girls, were involved in trafficking in India that year.