Egyptian Women: Yes to Beating

In Egypt, 94 percent of women thought it was acceptable to be beaten, as did 91 percent in Zambia.

In Ethiopia between 94 and 91 percent of women between 15 and 49 years have been beaten and believe wife-beating is justified for at least one reason.

As many as 70 per cent of married women in India between the age of 15 and 49 are victims of beating, rape or coerced sex.

In Australia, Canada, Israel, South Africa and the United States, 40-70 percent of female murder victims were killed by their partners.

Each year more about 529,000 women die of pregnancy related causes that are mainly preventable.

Lack of access to contraceptives in the developing world results in 76 million unwanted pregnancies and an estimated 19 million unsafe abortions worldwide each year.

In some districts of India, 16 per cent of deaths during pregnancy were attributed to domestic violence.

Clinical studies, for example, in Hong Kong SAR, China and Uganda found that about 30 per cent of women who had abortions reported abuse as the main reason for terminating their pregnancies.

- The United Nation Population Found (UNFP) today released its State of World Population 2005 report.

The only "good news" I find is that "only" 34 percent of Egypt's women has been beaten by a spouse or a partner.