India Ranked as the Most Dangerous Country for Women: Survey
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India has been ranked as the most dangerous country in the world for women, according to a survey conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The survey, published on Tuesday, placed India at the top of the list, ahead of conflict-ridden nations like Afghanistan and Syria.
The survey polled approximately 550 experts on women’s issues, asking them to evaluate the 193 United Nations member states based on various dangers faced by women. These dangers included healthcare access, economic resources, discrimination, customary practices, sexual violence, non-sexual violence, and human trafficking.
India was deemed more dangerous for women than Afghanistan, which came in second, and Syria, which ranked third. Somalia, embroiled in conflict since 1991, was ranked fourth, and Pakistan, which placed sixth, was also considered less dangerous than India. Yemen, suffering from a severe humanitarian crisis, ranked eighth.
Out of the 548 global experts surveyed, 43 were based in India. The results showed India as the most dangerous country overall for women, particularly in areas of human trafficking, sexual violence, and cultural, religious, and tribal practices.
In the 2011 poll conducted by the same organization, India was ranked fourth, ahead of Pakistan. However, the latest survey highlights a worsening situation for women in India, especially in terms of sexual violence, which includes domestic rape, stranger rape, sexual harassment, and the lack of access to justice in rape cases and forced labor.
The shift to the top of the poll suggests that efforts to address the dangers faced by women in India have not been effective, despite national outcry and legislative changes following the 2012 gang rape and murder of a student in Delhi, which brought violence against women into the national spotlight.
“There was an outcry in India after the 2012 Delhi gang rape, so you would have thought things would have improved, but that does not seem to be the case even though new laws have been introduced and more women are reporting sexual crimes,” said Monique Villa, CEO of the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Government statistics reveal that reported cases of crimes against women in India increased by 83% between 2007 and 2016, with an average of four rapes reported every hour.
The full rankings from the poll are as follows:
- India
- Afghanistan
- Syria
- Somalia
- Saudi Arabia
- Pakistan
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Yemen
- Nigeria
- United States