Violence against women: Delhi, Sao Paulo seen as worst megacities

NEW DELHI/SAO PAULO: Five years after the fatal gang rape of a student on a bus in New Delhi, the Capital was on Monday paired with Brazil’s Sao Paulo as the world’s worst megacities for sexual violence against women in a poll by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The December 2012 attack of a 23-year-old woman was a watershed in the fight for women’s rights, prompting thousands to take to the streets demanding action against rising sex attacks. The public outcry not only forced authorities to strengthen gender laws but also opened up the conversation on sexual violence.

However Delhi remains known as India’s “rape capital”.

And alongside Sao Paulo, it came joint bottom in the survey when experts on women’s issues were polled about the risk women run of encountering sexual violence in 19 different megacities. “I’m not surprised by the results as they’re based on perceptions. India and Brazil have seen a lot of media attention on sexual violence in recent years,” said Rebecca Reichmann Tavares, head of UN Women in India, who also worked in Brazil.

“Sexual violence in both these cities is, of course, a reality, but there isn’t any definitive data to suggest that rates are higher in Delhi and Sao Paulo than any other city.”

The survey asked 380 experts in cities with populations of more than 10 million to assess the risk of sexual violence and harmful cultural practices to women, as well as rank women’s access to health care and economic opportunities.