The Status of Women

Marking the celebration of International Women's Day last week, Egyptian writer Fatemah Farag details some disturbing facts regarding the status of women worldwide.

According to the United Nations Development Fund for Women, "Globally, up to six out of every ten women experience physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime." Sexual violence against women is a violation of human rights which has dire consequences. Among these are the increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, persistent gynecological problems, and psychological conditions, including fear of sex, loss of pleasure and severe trauma.

A recent survey by the World Health Organization of 24,000 women in ten countries found that the prevalence of physical and/or sexual violence by a partner varied from 15 percent in urban Japan to 71 percent in rural Ethiopia, with most areas in the 30–60 percent range.

The continued global nature of violence against women persists. According to the US-based National Organization for Women, over 600 women are raped or sexually assaulted in the US every day, while three women a day are murdered by an intimate partner.

In Asia, crime rates, bride trafficking, sexual violence, and female suicide are all on the rise. "It is no exaggeration to call this gendercide," said a report in The Economist this week. "Women are missing in their millions--aborted, killed, neglected to death." The number put forward by an Indian economist in 1990 was 100 million and is undoubtedly higher today.

A recent European Union study said that every year an estimated 5000 women are murdered by family members in the name of honor worldwide.

Egypt remains an African country with one of the highest rate of female genital mutilation. A survey of Egypt's youth by the Population Council published last month found that 82 percent of young Egyptian women have undergone forced genital mutilation.

A report on women's rights released last week by Freedom House said, "Violence against women is a serious problem in Egypt, and no law specifically prohibits domestic abuse."

Honor killings continue to take place here. The latest statistics on the phenomenon are from 1995, and these estimated that 52 of 819 reported murders were honor killings. "Due to the penal code's leniency toward men who commit honor killings, judges have often sentenced such individuals to as little as six months in prison," reported Freedom House.

A recent study showed that close to 83 percent of Egyptian women--including those who are fully veiled-- face harassment on the street.

These numbers make it hard to support the contention that 21st Century Earth has been civilized. More is at the link.