Jump down to fill out our surveyabout womens safety!
Personal safety is a basic human right that no one should have to live without.
This is intolerable, and here atSafetyDetectives, we believe it needs to change.
The world should be a safe place for everyone regardless of their gender.
Many scholars believe this phenomenon is deeply ingrained in various cultures.
This crucial shift in lifestyle also caused afundamental shift in power, tilting the scales in mens favor.
The male gazeturns women into sexual objectsthat exist primarily to kindly men.
This implicitly normalizes the control and abuse of women by dehumanizing them.
And while the objectification and dehumanization of women might sound abstract, these processes havereal and tangible consequences.
Think of the horrific stories that surface every so often about innocent women being harmed or killed.
They temporarily take hold of the public consciousness because theyre specific and shocking.
But only a tiny percentage of the victims of these kinds of crimes make it into the news.
What about the rest of them?
The public response to this tragedy was overwhelming and unique.
Women from all cultural contexts and socioeconomic backgrounds spoke up to share their own experiences.
Theprevalence of street harassmentis a reality that most women have learned to accept.
We shouldnt take this kind of fear for granted or allow this violence to continue.
We should speak up and do whatever we can to protect each other.
The first step toward solving any problem is understanding its roots and manifestations.
Those with the least number of reported crimes could probably stand to improve these processes.
(Although of course a high number of reported crimes should not be considered a good thing.)
Those with the least favorable laws would be hard pressed to promote womens safety without updating their legal systems.
It should be noted thatdata for crimes is based only on officially reported cases.
We then ranked the countries according to these averages.
(The countries in bold below are likely examples of this.)
Theyre meant to serve as an overview of the relative (not absolute) levels of reported crime.
So Brazil received a total of 8 points.
In each case, 0 represents the positive alternative, and 1 represents the negative alternative.
Theyre listed here in alphabetical order.
There also isnt any legislation or civil remedies on sexual harassment in the workplace.
Women in Iran do not have the same rights as their male counterparts.
In court, a womans testimony is worth only half of a mans.
Iran enforces Sharia law, in which women have a duty to be obedient to their husbands.
Islamic law in Iran also enforces a modest dress code.
The police denied beating her and claimed that she had suffered a heart attack.
But hijabs werent always mandatory for women in Iran; in fact, they used to be forbidden.
The Shah tried to westernize Iran, suppressing the laws of individual tribes and expanding womens rights.
In 2020, the atmosphere of the conflict in the country started to change.
A deal was made to gradually withdraw all US troops in exchange for the Taliban stopping attacks on Americans.
However, in the following months, Taliban fighters continued to escalate strikes against Afghan forces.
As there was very little opposition, they soon overran many districts easily.
But human rights groups were immediately skeptical, given the Talibans history of harshly interpreting and implementing Islamic law.
Indeed, less than a month after taking power, the dress codes for women started tightening.
This is reminiscent of the attire restrictions during the Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001.
Similarly, male vehicle owners have been instructed to deny rides to women who do not observe attire regulations.
The country also scored lower than in the previous year, where it also ranked last among 156 others.
Societal and economic issues have long been identified as risk factors for intimate partner violence.
These socioeconomic aspects include culturally accepted gender aggression, poverty, widespread violence, and low community involvement.
Police are also often hesitant to arrest husbands reported by their wives.
Additionally, many judicial officers lacked an understanding of the EVAW law.
Under Taliban control, there are no more courts for hearing EVAW cases.
In extreme cases, this can lead to being executed in state-sanctioned honor killings.
Legal representation for Afghan women is also severely lacking, exacerbating the permissiveness toward abuse.
However, on March 23, 2022, the Taliban announced that the restriction would continue.
Some districts allow girls in high schools, but there is no systematic effort to provide them safe access.
Even in provinces where girls can attend classes, harassment and discrimination prevent them from doing so.
There are also fewer female teachers, further decreasing girls confidence in schooling.
They are also more susceptible to gender-based violence perpetrated by men due to lower levels of self-determination and empowerment.
Educated women are likelier to speak up against discrimination and escape abusive situations.
This exacerbates the problem of women having fewer job opportunities and chances to participate in the economy.
The World Health Organization (WHO)conducted a studyinvolving 24,000 women across 10 countries.
In Afghanistan, womens participation in agriculture is crucial, as they tend to daily subsistence and livestock maintenance.
Thus, mobility limitations significantly impede agricultural communities progress, increasing economic imbalance and leading to greater food insecurity.
In January 2022, nearly 100% of women-led households reported having insufficient food.
Likewise, 85% had resorted to severe coping measures, such as restricting consumption.
Restrictions on their mobility have also caused sudden joblessness, despite womens constitutional right to work.
By July 2022, womens employment dropped by 28%.
Women in civil society organizations and media institutions face even more challenges, given the authorities attitude toward them.
As a result, 84% of Afghan women journalists stopped working in 2022.
Public service roles are also largely inaccessible to women.
A month after taking over, the de facto authorities instructed women working in government to stay home.
The situation is reportedly worse for women in the judicial branch of government.
The Taliban has freed men convicted of gender-based violence.
For women, there are notable limitations in specialized care, especially concerning reproductive health.
The main issues include access obstacles, supply shortages, and staffing difficulties.
The lack of reproductive care for Afghan women typically equates to pregnancy-related sickness, complications, or death.
This is even more pronounced in adolescent pregnancies from forced or child marriages.
Their children are also more likely to suffer malnutrition and low birth weight.
Other stressors include displacement, social trauma, and protracted conflict.
Youll also be able to see responses from other women all over the world.
Here are the results:
Percentages have been rounded to the closest whole number.
There are a few possible explanations for this.
you could see the full results of our survey in the infographic below.
*This includes freelancers that we work with and members of various Facebook groups for women.
A special thank you to @wstv_lizzi, who shared our survey with her followers on Twitter!
These topics are an important part of any discussion of womens safety.
Identity and Intersectionality
One of these topics isgender identity.
In fact, these individualsoften face even greater threatsdue to their gender identity and expression.
Another topic is the way thatrace and classrelate to womens safety.
We wanted to know how various judicial systems and governments handle and regulate related issues.
The first thing that came to mind was the question ofself defense, in legal terms.
Regarding some countries, the answer might surprise you.
For example, its legal to purchase and carry pepper spray in the United States.
However, in several European countries, its either illegal or requires a weapons license.
In Canada, pepper spray is prohibited altogether.
What Happens When Women Report Abuse?
Beyond the right to carry self-defense weapons, theres the question ofwhat happens when a woman actually defends herself.
And this problem persists across the world today.
One might assume that a simple self-defense law would remedy this injustice.
Even in countries where marital rape is technically a crime, it often goes unpunished.
For example, many states in the U.S. have legal loopholes that allow forexceptions in cases of spousal rape.
For example, Saudi Arabias system ofmale guardianshipessentially grants men total control over women throughout their lives.
Even if a Saudi woman manages to report abuse, she runs the risk of counter accusations.
In 2011, an Afghan woman was forced to choose betweenmarrying her rapist or spending 12 years in jail.
This doesnt only happen in the Middle East.
The more crimes that go unreported, the more perpetrators get away with abuse.
This createsa culture in which violence against women is tolerated, or at the very least, ignored.
Men become more likely to assault women, who become less likely to report these crimes.
And this isnt a theoretical situation this is the global reality were experiencing today.
And all across the globe, girls under the age of 18 also face a high risk of abuse.
Weve compiled the infographics below to shed light on these topics.
From public initiatives to individual actions, the worldwide effort to increase womens safety takes many forms.
There are all kinds of initiatives in different countries to address the specific safety concerns that women face there.
For example, Brazil is known for its abundance ofride-sharing apps designed specifically for female drivers and passengers.
There are a few similar apps in the United States.
A more commonly known example of a startup that promotes womens safety is Bumble.
Improving Womens Safety in Public Spaces
Other initiatives are specific to cities or smaller communities.
Beyond transportation, other projects focus on identifying urban areas that women perceive as unsafe throughdigital crowdmapping.
Platforms likeFree to BeandSafetipinoffer apps where women can report their experiences and advice forstaying safe in citiesaround the world.
The most important goal is tostop violence from happening in the first place.
Where Do We Go From Here?
One might assume that its most important to educate men, who dont experience these problems firsthand.
While thats certainly essential, its equally important to spread awareness among women.
Taking Action to Stop Violence Against Women
So, what can we actually do?
For instance, its crucial to educate police officers and investigators on the specific aspects of violence against women.
United States
United Kingdom
France
Russia
Europe
Brazil
Middle East and North Africa
Latin America and the Caribbean
