New Delhi: The Ministry of Women and Child Development on Wednesday rejected the recent survey that termed India the most dangerous country in the world for women.
“As per a recent poll titled ‘The world’s most dangerous countries for women 2018’ Thomson Reuters Foundation proclaimed India as the most dangerous country for women. The proclamation is based on an opinion poll, rather than any reports or data,” the Ministry said.
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The Ministry claimed that the ranking was faulty as the survey was conducted by very less number of people.
“Ranking is based on a perception poll based on responses to simply six questions and has been conducted with 548 respondents, which have been defined by Reuters as ‘experts focused on women’s issues’. However, no info or opinion has been sought from this Ministry,” it said.
The Ministry added, “There is positive data in the areas of violence too. There has been a drastic reduction in child marriage over the years, with reports of marriage in the age group of 0-9 years now being nil. Further, the percentage of women age 15-19 years who were already mothers or pregnant has dropped from 16% in 2005-06 to 7.9% in 2015-16.”
Further refuting the survey by the Thompson Reuters Foundation, the Ministry said that data on bonded and forced labour is dropping drastically and the reports of crime are being dealt with seriously.
The Ministry assured, “Trafficking will also be comprehensively addressed through the recently prepared Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018.”
On Tuesday, National Commission for Women (NCW) Chief Rekha Sharma also rejected the latest report which said that India is the world’s most dangerous country for women.
Speaking to the media, Sharma discredited the report claiming that the sample size was too small.
“I don’t believe in this survey because they have just questioned 25 women and such a less number cannot represent a society. Yes, the FIRs have increased and media is taking up these issues very actively. But the crime rate hasn’t increased so much that we top the list. There are countries in which women are in worse conditions,” she said.
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According to the UK-based report, released on Tuesday, India is the most dangerous country for women in terms of human trafficking including sex slavery and domestic servitude.
The survey was a repeat of a 2011 poll that found Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan, India, and Somalia were seen as the most dangerous countries for women.