Panama City — Latin America and the Caribbean is the most violent region in the world for women, the UN said on Wednesday, highlighting Central America and Mexico as particularly dangerous. In a report presented in Panama, UN Women and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) found assaults on women persisted in the region despite severe laws aimed at curbing the phenomenon. "The issue of violence against women in Latin America is critical. It’s the most violent region in the world against women outside of conflict contexts," Eugenia Piza-Lopez, head of UNDP’s gender mission in Latin America, told AFP. The rate of sexual violence against women outside of relationships in the region is the highest in the world, and the second-highest for those who are, or were, in one, the report stated. Three of the 10 countries with the highest rates of rape of women and girls were in the Caribbean, it said. Femicide — the killing of women — occurred on a "devastating scale" in Central America, it said,...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.