TheCable

Lagos is the eighth most dangerous megacity for women to live in, according to a Thompson Reuters survey.

Cairo, capital of Egypt, was rated the world’s most dangerous megacity for women while London, the best.

The poll which sought the opinion from some 380 experts in women’s issues, was conducted in 19 of the world’s biggest megacities (as ranked by the United Nations) between June and July 2017.

The cities were ranked based on four major factors – sexual violence, access to healthcare, cultural practices and economic opportunities.

Karachi in Pakistan followed Cairo, and next in line was Kinshasa in Democratic Republic of the Congo, then the Indian capital New Delhi.

Women’s rights campaigners in Cairo said traditions dating back centuries made it a tough city, with discrimination rife.

Delhi and Sao Paulo emerged as the worst cities when respondents were asked if women could live there without the risk of sexual violence, including rape, attacks or harassment.

The fatal gangrape of a woman on a Delhi bus in 2012 led to a wave of public protests and jolted many in the world’s second most populous country out of apathy over the treatment of women, forcing the government to toughen penalties for sex crimes.

Lagos ranked sixth out of nineteen for harmful cultural practices and seventh for minimal access to economic resources such as education, land and financial resources.

The overall ranking for the 10 worst megacities in descending order are:

1. Cairo (Egypt)
2. Karachi (Pakistan)
3. Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo)
4. Delhi (India)
5. Lima (Peru)
6. Mexico City (Mexico)
7. Dhaka (Bangladesh)
8. Lagos (Nigeria)
9. Jakarta (Indonesia)
10. Istanbul (Turkey)