New Delhi, Oct 16: Delhi has been named the world’s worst megacity for women in terms of sexual violence along with Brazil’s Sao Paulo in a poll conducted by Thomson Reuters Foundation. The overall poll has been based on four parameters – sexual violence, access to healthcare, cultural practices and economic opportunities. The poll places Delhi and Sau Paulo at the bottom of the top megacities for women. The list names London as the safest megacity for women.
Calling Delhi, the “rape capital” of India, the poll comes months before five years of the Nirbhaya gangrape case of December 2012. “I’m not surprised by the results as they’re based on perceptions. India and Brazil have seen a lot of media attention on sexual violence in recent years,” said Rebecca Reichmann Tavares, head of U.N. Women in India who also worked in Brazil, as quoted by Reuters.
“Sexual violence in both these cities is, of course, a reality, but there isn’t any definitive data to suggest that rates are higher in Delhi and Sao Paulo than any other city,” she added.
In the overall list, Egyptian capital Cairo has been rated the most dangerous city for women overall. Pakistan’s Karachi is the second most dangerous megacity for women overall, says the poll.
The survey was conducted by asking 380 experts in cities with populations of more than 10 million to assess the risk of sexual violence and harmful cultural practices to women, as well as rank women’s access to health care and economic opportunities.
