India

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It is perhaps not surprising that India ranks first on this list. Its increasing economic development, counting it among the world's superpowers, unfortunately, does not diminish the country’s social problems. Indeed, this Asian country is renowned for being a country where women's rights are consistently violated. Victims of patriarchy and traditional values ​​deeply rooted in the mores of Indian society, many women deal with acid attacks, forced or arranged marriages, stoning, sexual assault, honour killings, and female circumcision, an ancient tradition still practised in a few developing countries.

Afghanistan

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Like Syria, Afghanistan is one of those countries always mentioned in the news for its geopolitical conflicts and civil wars. Regarding the living conditions of its population, especially of women, they suffer from discrimination where they’re not allowed to work or have a professional career, nor access to education. Aside from that, the maternal mortality rate is very high because women have either poor medical care or no medical care at all.

Syria

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Syria ranks third on this list, because it is a victim of its social and political conflicts, due to which the living conditions of the Syrian population are getting worse, punctuated by daily bombing and attacks. Being a woman in Syria today means not having access to health care and a women-friendly health system. The destruction of clinics due to explosions deprives women of obstetric and gynaecological care. Childbirths are carried out in dangerous conditions and women do not have access to care during pregnancy, at the risk of having children suffering from serious health problems or developmental issues.

Somalia

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Suicide attempt, killings, and wars, Somalia is one of the countries on the African continent where the situation of women is very precarious and alarming. Subjected to traditional customs, women are exposed to threats of rape, stoning, female circumcision, and lack of prenatal care.

Saudi Arabia

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Dominated by the dogmas of a religion rooted in Arabic society, the rights and freedom of women are almost non-existent in this Islamic monarchy. For example, it was not until June 24th 2018 that women were allowed to drive for the first time in Saudi Arabia; a revolution for one of the few countries in the world that still has a very strict gender separation policy.

Pakistan

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The cultural and religious practices of Pakistani society, which are very hostile towards women, puts Pakistan at the sixth position on this list of top 10 countries where you are not safe as a woman. Acid attacks, forced pregnancies and marriages, or stoning, are unfortunately not uncommon in Pakistan.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Forced labour and sexual violence against women explain the position of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the ranking. According to a recent US study, more than 400,000 women are raped each year.

Yemen

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There is a climate of discrimination and violence against women in this country of the Arabian Peninsula that is very concerning. Women are subjected to forced marriages from an early age, and a high rate of illiterate women (60%).

Nigeria

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The birthplace of Boko Haram's Islamic Salafist ideology, Nigeria is plagued by suicide bombings, corruption, guerrillas, and hostage-taking, to name but a few issues. It ranks among the most dangerous countries for a woman because they are prey to sexual violence and kidnapping.

United States

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The latter country of this ranking is even more surprising to the extent that it is the only Northern country to be included in the ranking. While some developed countries like Iceland and Norway do justice to women by enforcing equal pay, the United States seems to be taking a step backwards. This has been especially evident since the election of Donald Trump as head of the Nation. Since then, there has been an increase in campaigns against sexism, hidden discrimination, sexual harassment, aggression, and normalised sexual violence that American women face every day.