5 Worst Places in the World to Be a Woman

Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan - May, 10 2008: Afghan women walking with their children at the Blue Mosque.
by Marleysa (pen name Anna Bayrakdar - previously published in 10thousandcouplesmagazine on May 2012)
According to the World Economic Forum, as much as 85% of countries have improved conditions for women over the past six years, but there is still a very long way to go for the following five worst places in the world to be a woman in. A recent global survey taken in many countries has short-listed countries such as Afghanistan, D R Congo, Pakistan, India, and Somalia as being the worst places to be a woman.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, chosen as the worst place of all to be a woman, is a country of conflict and strife, and is poorly governed. The simple facts are that approximately 87% of Afghan women are illiterate since schooling for women is frowned upon in their culture. Add to that the fact that approximately 70% of Afghan women are forced into marriages at the young age of 13, yet another custom or cultural tradition, and you begin to understand why it's considered to be the worst place for women to be.
Another fact is that with very poor access to doctors, about one in 11 women has a very real chance of dying in childbirth.
Another contributing factor is the domestic abuse of women, which is seen as just part of women's daily life with hardly any protection, if at all, or help from police or any other governmental authority. Women in Afghanistan are seen as the "property" of their husbands and therefore have no economic rights. In recent years, a number of women have resorted to self-immolation (burning themselves with acids) as a way to escape from bad husbands or forced marriage arrangements.
Women that do try to speak out or take on public roles such as policewomen or news broadcasters are seen to be challenging ingrained gender roles. These women are often intimidated to stop or simply killed.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo
The D R Congo, also widely known as the "rape capital of the world," is second in line as one of the worst places in the world for a woman to be born. This war-stricken country, where men use kidnapping and rape as a weapon of war, has ruined thousands of lives. The armed forces in the conflicts between North and South Kivu Provinces are constantly targeting women. In 2009 alone, more than 8000 women or girls were raped by these armed forces, according to the UN.
Women in this country are continually treated as second-class citizens with almost no opportunity to ever enter politics. Since the culture here is also to force very young girls into arranged marriages, until very recently, education for women was almost nonexistent. Through the campaigning of various factions, this seems to be slowly changing, and more girls are sent to school now.
Pakistan
Third on the list of worst places to be a woman, Pakistan has a huge problem of domestic violence against women. As many as 90% of women here experience domestic violence on a regular basis. But even worse than the domestic violence is the fact that more than a thousand women and girls are victims of so-called "honor" killings every year.
Another horrifying but all too common practice is that of burns from acid-throwing that women have to endure as "punishment" for spurning marriage proposals or unwanted sexual advances. Men take this spurning as an intolerable humiliation and often retaliate by throwing acid into a woman or girl's face. in order to horribly disfigure her as "punishment." But alas, a glimmer of hope for women has arisen with the forming of the non-governmental organization Acid Survivors Foundation (ASF). This organization, with the support of a UK charity Acid Survivors Trust International, helps with medical care and battles for justice. ASF is campaigning for new laws to restrict the trade of battery acid (often used in girls' faces) and to provide rehabilitation for the victims.
India
Fourth on the list of worst places to be a woman, India is yet another country with a tradition of forcing young girls under the age of 18 into unwanted marriages. But even much worse than that is the horrific fact that as many as 50 million girls are "missing" just within this past century, due to female infanticide and foeticide. This clearly reflects the absolute low status accorded to women in India.
Sex-selective abortion cases have become a significant phenomenon in several parts of India. The reasons for killing baby girls are mainly economical. Girls need a dowry to be paid to a future husband, and in this poverty-stricken country, the cost of a dowry and an ignorance of family planning are the predominant reasons for these hideous crimes against baby girls.
Somalia
Somalia, the fifth worst place to be a woman, is a place where 95% of young girls face genital mutilation, usually between the ages of four and 11. Given the fact that there is a very poor health system, as few as 9% of women are ever able to give birth in a health facility, making the maternal mortality rate very high.
Here, as in many other places in Africa, women are often not allowed any education to speak of. Domestic violence is seen as just another part of daily life, and women live in constant fear of being kidnapped, raped, or killed. Add to that a total lack of proper health care or basic needs, and cultural inferiority as a reality for women, and one can fully understand why this country is considered to be one of the worst places in the world to be a woman.
To conclude, these are but a few of the horrors that women still have to endure in some countries and that we, as a caring world, need to look at seriously. Action needs to be taken to help emancipate more women around the world.

Preferred Writers Group: 5 Worst Places in the World to Be a Woman: Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan - May, 10 2008: Afghan women walking with their children at the Blue Mosque. by Marleysa (pen name Anna Bayrokdar).