Report says Nigeria is 9th most dangerous country for women

Nigeria has been named the ninth most dangerous country for women in the latest report released by Thomson Reuters Foundation recently.

Nigeria made the list alongside India, which tops the list, DR Congo, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Somalia, no thanks to poor ratings in cases of sexual violence, cultural practices, and human trafficking.

Other countries polled to have bad records in the treatment of women included the U.S.A, which came last on the list, Syria, Pakistan, and Yemen.

Between March 26 and May 4, 2018, the Thomson Reuters Foundation surveyed 548 experts on women’s issues across the globe, including academics, health workers, policy-makers, and NGO workers.

The respondents were asked to consider the following parameters: health care, cultural practices, discrimination, sexual violence, non-sexual violence, and human trafficking.

While Nigeria didn’t rank in healthcare, discrimination, and non-sexual violence, Nigeria ranked sixth for (cultural) practices that were harmful to women, like acid attacks, female genital mutilation, child marriage, forced marriage, stoning, physical abuse or mutilation as a form of punishment/retribution and female infanticide.

In cases of sexual violence, Nigeria is ranked fourth on the poll, with examples of rape as a weapon of war, domestic rape, rape by a stranger, the lack of access to justice in rape cases, sexual harassment and coercion into sex as a form of corruption cited. Nigeria is also ranked fourth position on the poll in matters of human trafficking.

Nigeria came sixth in cultural practices that are harmful to women — cultural practices such as female genital mutilation, acid attacks, forced marriage, stoning, physical abuse or mutilation as a way of punishment, female infanticide and child marriage.

With these alarming statistics, one can say that this country is not a safe place to be a girl and definitely not safe for women. When women are blamed for getting raped and girls are accused of seducing adults who sexually molest them, this country is definitely not safe for women and girls whose human rights should be protected.

What a country!