(Image source from: Darpan Magazine)

A poll of global experts released on Tuesday found that India is the world's most unsafe country for women due to the high peril of sexual ferocity and being constrained into slave labor.  

The Thomson Reuters Foundation survey of about 550 experts on woman's issues found Afghanistan and Syria as the second and third most unsafe country for while, followed by Saudi Arabia and Somalia.  

The United States ranked in the top 10 and ranked joint third when respondents were asked where women were most at the peril of sexual ferocity, molestation and being forced into sexual practice.

The poll was a repetition of a study in 2011 that found experts saw Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan, India, and Somalia as the most unsafe countries for women.

Experts said India moving to the top of the poll showed not adequate was being done to tackle the danger women faced, more than five years after the sexual assault and slay of a student on a bus in Delhi made violence against women a national precedence.

"India has shown utter disregard and disrespect for women. Rape, marital rapes, sexual assault and harassment, female infanticide has gone unabated. The world's fastest-growing economy and leader in space and technology are shamed for violence committed against women," said Manjunath Gangadhara, a Karnataka government official.

Government data shows reported cases of crime against women rose by 83 percent between 2007 and 2016 when there were four cases of rape reported every hour.

The survey asked respondents which five of the 193 United Nations member states they thought were most dangerous for women and which country was worst in terms of healthcare, economic resources, cultural or traditional practices, sexual violence and harassment, non-sexual violence and human trafficking.

Respondents also ranked India the most dangerous country for women in terms of human trafficking, including sex slavery and domestic servitude, and for customary practices such as forced marriage, stoning, and female infanticide.

Experts said the surprise addition of the United States in the top 10 most dangerous countries for women came down to the #MeToo and Time's Up campaigns against sexual harassment and violence that have dominated headlines for months.

"People want to think income means you're protected from misogyny, and sadly that's not the case," said Cindy Southworth, executive vice president of the Washington-based National Network to End Domestic Violence.

"We are going to look back and see this as a very powerful tipping point ... We're blowing the lid off and saying '#Metoo and Time's Up'."

The poll of 548 people was conducted online, by phone and in person between March 26 and May 4. Respondents included aid professionals, academics, healthcare staff, non-government organization workers, policy-makers, development specialists and social commentators

By Sowmya Sangam