United Nations: Less than half the women in 57 developing countries are denied the right to say no to sex with their partners, to decide whether to use contraception, or to seek health care, a UN report said Wednesday.
The report by the UN Population Fund said the data covers only about one-quarter of the world's countries, over half in Africa.
But the findings paint an alarming picture of the state of bodily autonomy for millions of women and girls who don't have the power to make choices about their bodies and their futures without fear or violence, it said.
The fund said only 55 percent of girls and women in the 57 countries are able to decide whether to have sex, whether to use contraception and when to seek health care such as sexual and reproductive health services.
The denial of bodily autonomy is a violation of women and girls' fundamental human rights that reinforces inequalities and perpetuates violence arising from gender discrimination," said the fund's executive director, Dr Natalia Kanem.
Also read:UNSC open debate on Sexual Violence: India call for strengthening the sanctions regimes
The fact that nearly half of women still cannot make their own decisions about whether or not to have sex, use contraception or seek health care should outrage us all.
According to the report, My Body Is My Own, percentages vary across region.
While 76 percent of adolescent girls and women in east and southeast Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean can make decisions on sex, contraception and health care, less than 50 percent can in sub-Saharan Africa and central and south Asia, the report said.