A new poll conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation released on Monday suggests that Cairo is the world’s most dangerous megacity for women. From a UN list of 19 cities, the Egyptian capital ranked the worst megacity for women regarding harmful cultural practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage, while England ranked the best. In terms of risking being exposed to sexual harassment, Cairo ranked the third worst megacity, after Delhi and Sao Paulo. The survey asked international experts on women’s issues in 19 megacities around the world about how women fare in terms of risking being exposed to sexual violence and harassment, harmful cultural practices and the extent to which they have access to healthcare, economic opportunities, and education. In every city, Reuters asked at least 15 experts specializing in women’s issues, including academics, NGO workers, healthcare professionals, policy-makers and social commentators. Women’s rights groups and campaigners claim that centuries-old cultural practices have contributed to Cairo still being a very tough city to live in for women. “We’re still operating under a conservative country and it’s hard to take any radical progressive steps in the area…
