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Nigeria has been listed among the top 10 most dangerous countries to be a woman in the world.
The study conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation listed Nigeria as the 9th most dangerous pla ce for women. India ranks number one as the most dangerous place for women in the world.
The United States of America is also on the list at number 10.
Of the top ten countries, nine were in Asia, Africa or the Middle East.
They are:
- India
- Afghanistan
- Syria
- Somalia
- Saudi Arabia
- Pakistan
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Yemen
- Nigeria
- United States
The poll was conducted between March and May with about 550 experts on women’s issues drawn from Europe, Africa, the Americas, South East Asia, South Asia and the Pacific.
Respondents included aid professionals, academics, healthcare staff, non-government organisation workers, policy-makers, development specialists and social commentators.
The criteria for ranking include: healthcare, discrimination, cultural traditions, sexual/non-sexual violence and human trafficking.
Even though India is considered the world’sfastest growing exonomy and a leader in space and technology, it ranked the most dangerous for the risks women face from cultural and traditional practices, such as acid attacks, female genital mutilation, physical abuse and child marriage.
Government data shows that reported cases of sexual crimes against women, many of which are gang-rapes of minors, rose by 83 per cent between 2007 and 2016, with four cases of rape reported every hour.
The inclusion of the US in the list may come as a surprise to many but a lot of women recently came out and exposed how they have been sexually abused by men in entertainment, sports and politics. Their revelations culminated into the #MeToo and Time’s Up campaigns against sexual harassment and violence which exposed more cases.
Source: Indy100/The Independent