Nearly half of women in developing countries ‘do not own their bodies,’ UN says

Author Moonshot.news

Published on: 19/04/2021

Nearly half of women in 57 developing countries do not have decision-making power over their own bodies, including whether or not to have sex with their partners, according to UNFPA’s 2021 flagship State of World Population report.

The UN’s Population Fund (UNFPA) says 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 health care and judicial systems.

The report titled ‘My Body is My Own’ shows that only 55% of women are fully empowered to make choices over health care, contraception and the ability to say yes or no to sex.

At the same time, only 71% of countries guarantee access to overall maternity care, while 75% of countries legally ensure full, equal access to contraception. Key findings also show that about 80% of countries have laws supporting sexual health and well-being, and about 56% of countries have laws and policies supporting comprehensive sexuality 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 health care should outrage us all,” says UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem. “In essence, hundreds of millions of women and girls do not own their own bodies. Their lives are governed by others.”

Legal, economic and social barriers to securing bodily autonomy

The report also documents many other ways that the bodily autonomy of women, men, girls and boys is violated, revealing that 20 countries or territories have “marry-your-rapist” laws, where a man can escape criminal prosecution if he marries the woman or girl he has raped, and 43 countries have no legislation addressing the issue of marital rape (rape by a spouse).

According to the report, efforts to address abuses can lead to further violations of bodily autonomy. For example, to prosecute a case of rape, a criminal justice system might require a survivor to undergo an invasive so-called virginity test. That is why real solutions must take into account the needs and experiences of those affected.

“The denial of bodily autonomy is a violation of women and girls’ fundamental human rights that reinforces inequalities and perpetuates violence arising from gender discrimination,” says Dr. Kanem “It is nothing less than an annihilation of the spirit, and it must stop.”

“By contrast,” Dr. Kanem says, “a woman who has control over her body is more likely to be empowered in other spheres of her life. She gains not only in terms of autonomy, but also through advances in health and education, income and safety. She is more likely to thrive, and so is her family.”