Poll Finds Egypt Is Worst Arab State For Women, Comoros Best
Egypt is the worst country in the Arab world in which to be a woman, according to a new poll of gender experts.
The survey, conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, found that Egypt is plagued by sexual harassment, high rates of female genital cutting, and a surge in violence and Islamist feeling following the Arab Spring uprisings.
A UN report in April said 99.3 percent of women and girls in Egypt are subjected to sexual harassment.
The country also suffers from discriminatory laws and a rise in trafficking, placing it at the bottom of the ranking of 22 Arab states.
Iraq ranked second-worst, followed by Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen.
The island nation of Comoros -- where 20 percent of ministerial positions are held by women -- was ranked first, followed by Oman, Kuwait, Jordan, and Qatar.
The survey, conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, found that Egypt is plagued by sexual harassment, high rates of female genital cutting, and a surge in violence and Islamist feeling following the Arab Spring uprisings.
A UN report in April said 99.3 percent of women and girls in Egypt are subjected to sexual harassment.
The country also suffers from discriminatory laws and a rise in trafficking, placing it at the bottom of the ranking of 22 Arab states.
Iraq ranked second-worst, followed by Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen.
The island nation of Comoros -- where 20 percent of ministerial positions are held by women -- was ranked first, followed by Oman, Kuwait, Jordan, and Qatar.
