India is the most dangerous country in the world for women, according to a new survey of global experts.
In the poll by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, 548 experts on women's issues ranked the 10 most dangerous countries for the female gender.
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They considered six key areas that impact women's safety - healthcare, discrimination, cultural traditions, sexual and non-sexual violence and human trafficking.
India ranked first in three areas. Women in India have the highest risk of encountering sexual violence and harassment, are most likely to be harmed by cultural practices and are in the greatest danger of human trafficking.
The country is facing an epidemic of sexual assault. Government data shows that the number of reported crimes against women in India rose by 83 percent between 2007 and 2016.
The 2012 gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student in New Delhi sparked mass protests, which have largely continued over the past six years. Thousands took to the streets this week demanding the death penalty for the men accused of raping a seven-year-old girl in Mandsaur, central India.
The survey was a follow-up to a poll in 2011, which ranked India in fourth place behind Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Pakistan.
Experts say India's rise to the top of the poll proves it has failed to make the country safer for women.
Afghanistan was ranked the second most dangerous country, while Syria, Somalia and Saudi Arabia rounded out the top five.
The only Western country in the top 10 was the United States in 10th place. The US was ranked joint-third by experts for women's risk of sexual violence, harassment and lack of access to justice in rape cases. It was ranked sixth for non-sexual violence.
The survey was taken after the #MeToo movement ignited a cultural conversation around high-profile men's sexual harassment and abuse of women.
Newshub.
