Accessibility links

Breaking News

Poll Finds Egypt Is Worst Arab State For Women, Comoros Best


Women at a polling station in central Cairo in December 2012
Women at a polling station in central Cairo in December 2012
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.

Based on reporting by Reuters

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG