Singapore is the Safest Asian Country for Women, Study Suggests Here are the top countries in the Asia-Pacific region where women live in equanimity
By Nidhi Singh
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Women safety is a global concern that demands immediate attention and action. News of women being molested assaulted and raped flash are prevalent. The topic has been much discussed and debated by thought leaders on various platforms, but nothing considerable has been done on ground level. A recent study by Value Champion, a Singapore-based consumer research company, sheds light on some of the major countries in Asia-Pacific where women can live with the greatest peace of mind.
A Safe Place for Women
Singapore and New Zealand topped the list of safest countries for women, with impressive healthcare, safety and opportunity indicators. Singapore and New Zealand have scored consistently well on major global indices such as the 2018 Global Peace Index and 2018 Human Development Index, indicating that these countries have low levels of internal and international conflicts, suffer minor gender inequality and see positive developmental and opportunity growth potential. Crime rates are low (Singapore has one of the lowest homicide rates in the world) and there are laws against marital rape, domestic assault and sexual harassment, the study says.
Furthermore, both countries have impressive health indicators. Life expectancy rates are about 11-12 years above the global average and infant and maternal mortality rates are significantly below average. These measures indicate women have access to high quality healthcare, adequate pre-natal and post-natal medical care and proper nutrition and sanitation.
Getting There
However, there is still room for improvement for both countries. While Singapore is generally very safe for women, the number of outrage of modesty cases increased 12 percent between 2017 and 2018, indicating that sexual harassment is still a concern. There is also the question of its ambiguous marital rape immunity law that is still only in the process of being repealed.
The Other Contenders
Australia is third on the list due to its lack of crime, availability of healthcare and access to education, employment opportunities and legal recourse. It sees a high female life expectancy rate of 84.6 years and a low infant (3 deaths per 1,000 births) and maternal mortality rates (8.5 deaths/100,000 births), indicating that women have access to high quality healthcare at any stage of their life. Australia's high ranking on global peace and development indices indicate it is a safe place for all of its residents.
Japan's great healthcare and record low crime rates make it one of the safest countries in Asia for women. The country also does well on peace and development indices.
Taiwan has been doing a great job of balancing human rights with quality of life and continual GDP improvements. Low infant mortality (4.3 deaths per 1,000 births) and female homicide (0.45 per 100,000) rates, access to high-quality healthcare, very strict abuse and harassment laws and high levels of literacy among the female population means women in Taiwan live generally safe and comfortable lives.
