Report places Bangladesh at 45th place in Commonwealth
New Zealand is the best place in the Commonwealth to be born a girl, while Sierra Leone and Nigeria are among the worst, says a report published yesterday in London on the occasion of the Commonwealth Day.
Bangladesh has tied with Gambia, Pakistan, Solomon Islands and Tonga for the 45th place among the 54 Commonwealth countries, according to the report published jointly by Royal Commonwealth Society and Plan UK.
India has secured the 41st place.
The study “Because You’re a Girl: Growing Up in the Commonwealth” compares how well girls or women are doing relative to boys or men in their country in eight areas of life.
It used data on issues from survival, for example life expectancy and nutrition, to achievement, including numbers of athletes and medals won at the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Scholarships attained.
The report suggests that it is political will — and not the economic wealth — which is most important in advancing gender equality.
Some of the poorest countries in the Commonwealth do relatively well in the eight indicators used in the report, while some rich countries remain a long way off gender equality.
The Commonwealth’s richest country, Brunei Darussalam, only manages a rank of 23rd.
The report says despite decades of campaigning in Western Commonwealth nations, Rwanda and South Africa top the female political participation table. Rwanda ranks first in the world while the United Kingdom ties with Pakistan for the 17th place.
Courtesy of The Daily Star
