s at the most appropriate of times when the UN has recognized the lack of legal protection for women [UN Women Report “In Pursuit of Justice.”] TrustLaw Women contains a survey – based on responses from over 200 aid professionals, academics, health workers, development specialists and policymakers chosen for their expertise in gender issues – highlighting the five most dangerous countries for women to live in: Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Pakistan, India and Somalia. What is striking about the report is that four of these countries receive vast sums of aid from the international community and the other is the world’s largest democracy. The survey has six categories: health; discrimination and lack of access to resources; human trafficking; conflict-related violence; sexual violence; and, cultural and religious practices.
The report unsurprisingly identified Afghanistan as the worse place for women to live. This is because women continue to suffer economic, social and political hardship and discrimination: having one of the highest rates of maternal mortality and one of the highest illiteracy rates for women and girls in the world (approximately 12% of females 15 years and older can read and write in Afghanistan compared to 39% of males). Most recently, the Taliban has reinitiated its campaign against women with the use of “night letters” designed to intimidate or poison women. The DRC, dubbed by the UN as the “rape capital of the world,” despite having the second largest UN peacekeeping presence – MONUSCO – whose mandate is to provide civilians with protection (MONUSCO has 22,000 peacekeepers and an annual budget of over $1.3 billion) came second in the Thompson Reuters report. Pakistan took the third place because cultural, tribal and religious practices consistently harm women’s rights. Pakistani women endure acid attacks, child and forced marriages and the application of physical violence as punishment and retribution. Somewhat surprisingly, India came fourth due to the high level of human trafficking, which is largely domestic (of India’s 3 million prostitutes, 40% are children; the Indian National Human Rights Commission estimates that 60,000 children go missing annually in India, with fewer than a third being found). India also has the highest female infanticide and feticide rate in the world, as parents opt to have boys for cultural, economic and social reasons. Somalia came fifth as the most dangerous country in the world for women. Somali women endure high levels of rape, female gentile mutilation, limited access to education and health care, leading to a high rate of maternal mortality. (The Guardian, June 17, 2011)
Since the 1990s the international community has sought to promote “human security” – freedom from want and freedom from fear. This has led to some major changes in international politics such as the prosecution of those engaging in sexual-based violence, which includes rape, sexual abuse and public humiliation. (Prosecutor v. Akayesu ICTR-96-4-T, 2 September 1998) The Security Council has contributed to the campaign by adopting resolutions placing gender at the heart of peacekeeping operations (Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000)) as well as demanding an end to sexual violence (Security Council Resolution 1888 (2008)). The economic world through various initiatives and programs has sought to promote women’s economic empowerment and self-sufficiency. And yet, the question remains as to why women continue to experience immense human rights violations?
The answer lies, as Charlsworth noted more than a decade ago, in the gendered nature of international relations (Hillary Charlesworth 1994). By not seeing gender inequality as a national security issue, an opportunity is missed to challenge those seeking to keep gender in the “private realm.” When looking at the Thompson Reuters study in none of the five countries do national security and gender issues intercede. This is unfortunate as by making women’s right a national security issue it becomes possible to not only punish