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David: Did you know you can support The David Pakman Show by just going onto www.DavidPakman.com,
clicking on the Amazon banner on the right side of the site, and bookmarking that link
and then just using it whenever you shop at www.Amazon.com? You'll help to support the
show, and it's probably shopping you're already doing. I know I'm always ordering books, Louis,
for various, you know, flights, and just constantly. I seem to just be ordering books non-stop.
Louis: And when I want a book, I just borrow one from you.
David: Right. That's Louis's move. So I guess I'm ordering the books for multiple people.
The world's five worst places for women. There was a new report by Thomson Reuters Foundation,
and the most dangerous countries for women are Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of
Congo, "Pahkeestan", to quote President Obama, India, and Somalia.
And the ranking is based on a number of different factors. It's based on a poll of gender experts
with a statistically-based methodology. It measures major threats to the welfare of women
and girls, including *** violence, non-*** violence, cultural or religious factors, discrimination,
lack of access to resources, trafficking.
And those are the five. Are you surprised, Louis, by any of those five, specifically?
Louis: I am kind of surprised by India.
David: See, I thought you would say that. The thing is, there are multiple Indias, according
to this study, and there's really such a variety of what we see in the media and the traditional
understanding of India, where there is much poverty, but we don't necessarily associate
it with a particularly dangerous situation for women, and then there is the other India,
which to many people, not to all, I don't want to offend anyone, but to many in the
U.S. at least, is a lot less well-known.
Some of the more dismal points: nine in 10 Afghan women are illiterate. You OK, Louis?
Louis is moving all sorts of...
Louis: Microphone problems.
David: You think you're going to make it to the end of the show?
Louis: I'm going to give it my all.
David: Nine out of 10 Afghan women are illiterate. In Somalia, where maternal mortality is incredibly
high, less than 10% of women are giving birth in a standard health facility. About 100 million
people in India, mostly girls and women, fall victim to trafficking. Female infanticide
and feticide, which is referring to sex-selective abortion, are also incredibly widespread.
So again, you're right, Louis, the issues we traditionally associate with India are
not, for example, sex-selective abortion.
Louis: Right.
David: One study estimated that 420,000 rapes occur over the course of a year in the Democratic
Republic of Congo. And you know, that to me is not surprising. We know about a lot of
persistent, almost institutionalized *** taking place in many countries in Africa.
And women in Pakistan earn about 80% less than men, and 90% of them experience domestic
violence in their lifetimes.
Louis: I mean, that sounds not nearly as bad as what's going on in the other countries
on the list.
David: In Pakistan?
Louis: This, of course, I'm sure this is just...
David: Nine out of 10 have experienced domestic violence isn't as bad?
Louis: Domestic violence is a pretty broad term.
David: Certainly some of that 90% are experiencing less severe incidents than some of the other
90%, absolutely.
David: But it's an absolute disaster.
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