Millions of women face restrictions on their bodies

Nearly half the women in 57 countries and regions around the world face restrictions on what they can do with their bodies, such as have sex, use contraception or seek healthcare, the UN said in a report on Wednesday.

The authors of the report by the UN Population Fund addressed for the first time women’s bodily autonomy.

The study entitled My Body is My Own lists attacks on women in 57 countries and regions, ranging from rape to forced sterilization to virginity tests and genital mutilation.

The study looks at restrictions on women deciding what to do with their bodies without fear of violence or a decision from someone else on their physical integrity.

“This lack of bodily autonomy has massive implications beyond the profound harms to individual women and girls: potentially depressing economic productivity, undercutting skills, and resulting in extra costs to healthcare and judicial systems,” the UN population fund said in a statement.

The study said only 56 percent of the countries and regions examined in the report have laws or policies providing for thorough sex education.

“The fact that nearly half of women still cannot make their own decisions about whether or not to have sex, use contraception or seek healthcare should outrage us all,” said UNFPA director Natalia Kanem.

“In essence, hundreds of millions of women and girls do not own their own bodies.”

The report lists 20 countries or regions in which it says there are laws that allow a rapist to marry the victim so as to escape criminal charges.