by Nadia Ramoutar   MMM Communications Coordinator                    Ireland                            11.01.2025

Recently, I was talking to someone and he referred to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as one of ‘worst places on earth to be a woman.” He is a surgeon who works with women in poverty and I found this reference disturbing. I decided to research this title to see how a country managed to get such a horrendous designation. What I found was even more disturbing.

There is in fact a bit of a battle to get the ultimate title of the very worst place but tragically, a lot of countries in the world are contenders not just DRC. South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Mali and Libya are in the running but without a doubt Afghanistan has recently risen to high ranks as women’s voices have been banned in public spaces and many other legal and social laws.

According to research organizations Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security and Peace Research Institute Oslo state that war is very bad for women. I know that war clearly impacts men who are fighting and are soldiers but it also had a horrific impact on women – which means that it impacts men too. This may all seem obvious but war is often seen as a male oriented impact.

The group also state that ‘women’s rights has improved in some 60 countries, but in deteriorated in many war-torn nations.’ The researchers looked at 167 countries since 2017 when the first Women, Peace and Security Index was compiled, weighing variables such as access to bank accounts, jobs and security. Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan and Iraq were the other countries at the bottom of the ranking.
The new research found deterioration in women’s lives was often linked to security, which worsened in almost 50 countries. I can’t imagine that life in Gaza is anything but hell for women and children now.

Recently we celebrated the Christmas season and thought about Mary and Joseph looking for a safe place for the baby to be born.   It is upsetting that so many years later there is no safe place for so many women in the world.  My wish for 2025 is that somehow conditions improve for women everywhere not just in places like Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands which are considered the best place to be a woman.

It seems to be a major injustice that where a girl is born determines her level of safety and quality of life as a woman. The work of the MMMs is some of the most remote, war-torn or poor communities in our world continues to try and address such atrocities and without support from our family, friends and donors this would not be possible. So thank you for believing in a more just reality for everyone.