Afghanistan topped the list with violence, dismal healthcare and brutal poverty, while Congo was a close second due to horrific levels of rape, the poll said. India and Somalia ranked fourth and fifth, respectively.
“Ongoing conflict, NATO airstrikes and cultural practices combined make Afghanistan a very dangerous place for women,” said Antonella Notari, head of Women Change Makers.
The poll by TrustLaw, a legal news service run by Thomson Reuters Foundation, 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.
Afghanistan emerged as the most dangerous country for women overall and worst in three of the six risk categories: health, non-sexual violence and lack of access to economic resources. Pakistan ranked third largely on the basis of cultural, tribal and religious practices harmful to women.
These include acid attacks, child and forced marriage and punishment or retribution by stoning or other physical abuse. “Pakistan has some of the highest rates of dowry murder, so-called honour killings and early marriage,” said Divya Bajpai, reproductive health adviser at the International HIV/AIDS Alliance.
Some 1,000 women and girls die in honour killings annually, according to the Human Rights Commission. India ranked fourth primarily due to female foeticide, infanticide and human trafficking.
