Nearly half of women, girls ‘do not own their bodies’, UN says
Al Jazeera
UN says nearly half the women in 57 countries lack bodily autonomy, including in decisions over sex with partners.
Nearly half the women and adolescent girls in developing countries are denied the right to decide whether or not to have sex with their partners, use contraception, or seek healthcare, according to a new report by the United Nations. The UN’s Population Fund (UNFPA) on Wednesday called the finding “alarming” and said the lack of bodily autonomy threatened women’s safety, potentially reduced economic productivity and resulted in extra costs to a country’s healthcare and judicial systems. The report, titled My Body is My Own (PDF), looked at both women’s power to make their own decisions about their bodies and the extent to which countries’ laws support or interfered with that right,More Related News