utterly shameful. ------------------------------------------------------- Targeted violence against female public officials, dismal healthcare and desperate poverty make Afghanistan the world's most dangerous country in which to be born a woman, according to a global survey released on Wednesday. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Pakistan, India and Somalia feature in descending order after Afghanistan in the list of the five worst states, the poll among gender experts shows. The appearance of India, a country rapidly developing into an economic super-power, was unexpected. It is ranked as extremely hazardous because of the subcontinent's high level of female infanticide and sex trafficking. Others were less surprised to be on the list. Informed about her country's inclusion, Somalia's women's minister, Maryan Qasim, responded: "I thought Somalia would be first on the list, not fifth." The survey has been compiled by the Thomson Reuters Foundation to mark the launch of a website, TrustLaw Woman, aimed at providing free legal advice for women's groups around the world. High maternal mortality rates, limited access to doctors and a "near total lack of economic rights" render Afghanistan such a threat to its female inhabitants. "Continuing conflict, Nato airstrikes and cultural practices combine to make Afghanistan a very dangerous place for women," said Antonella Notari, head of Women Change Makers, a group that supports women social entrepreneurs around the world. "Women who do attempt to speak out or take on public roles that challenge ingrained gender stereotypes of what is acceptable for women to do or not, such as working as policewomen or news broadcasters, are often intimidated or killed." The "staggering levels of sexual violence" in the lawless east of the DRC account for its second place in the list. One recent US study claimed that more than 400,000 women are raped there each year. The UN has called Congo the rape capital of the world. "Rights activists say militia groups and soldiers target all ages, including girls as young as three and elderly women," the survey reports, "They are gang raped, raped with bayonets and some have guns shot into their vaginas." Pakistan is ranked third on the basis of cultural, tribal and religious practices harmful to women. "These include acid attacks, child and forced marriage and punishment or retribution by stoning or other physical abuse," the poll finds. Divya Bajpai, reproductive health adviser at the International HIV/Aids Alliance, added: "Pakistan has some of the highest rates of dowry murder, so-called honour killings and early marriage." According to Pakistan's human rights commission, as many as 1,000 women and girls die in honour killings annually. India is the fourth most dangerous country. "India's central bureau of investigation estimated that in 2009 about 90% of trafficking took place within the country and that there were some 3 million prostitutes, of which about 40% were children," the survey found. Forced marriage and forced labour trafficking add to the dangers for women. "Up to 50 million girls are thought to be 'missing' over the past century due to female infanticide and foeticide,", the UN population fund says, because parents prefer to have young boys rather than girls. Somalia, a state in political disintegration, suffers high levels of maternal mortality, rape, female genital mutilation and limited access to education and healthcare. Qasim added: "The most dangerous thing a woman in Somalia can do is to become pregnant. When a woman becomes pregnant her life is 50-50 because there is no antenatal care at all. There are no hospitals, no healthcare, no nothing. "Add to that the rape cases that happen on a daily basis, and female genital mutilation being done to every single girl in Somalia. Add to that famine and drought. Add to that the fighting [which means] you can die any minute, any day." Monique Villa, the chief executive of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, said: "Hidden dangers – like a lack of education or terrible access to healthcare – are as deadly, if not more so, than physical dangers like rape and murder which usually grab the headlines. "In Afghanistan, for instance, women have a one in 11 chance of dying in childbirth. In the top five countries, basic human rights are systematically denied to women. "Empowering women tackles the very roots of poverty. In the developing world when a woman works, her children are better fed and better educated because they spend their money for their family." The survey was based on responses from more than 200 aid professionals, academics, health workers, policymakers, journalists and development specialists chosen for their expertise in gender issues. Each country was also ranked in terms of six risk factors including: health, discrimination and lack of access to resources, cultural and religious practices, sexual violence, human trafficking and conflict-related violence. In terms of individual risk categories, Afghanistan was deemed to be the most dangerous for health, economic/discrimination and non-sexual violence; the Congo is most plagued by rape and sexual violence; and India has most problems with trafficking. "You have to look at all the dangers to women, all the risks women and girls face," said Elisabeth Roesch, who works on gender-based violence for the International Rescue Committee in Washington. "If a woman can't access healthcare because her healthcare isn't prioritised, that can be a very dangerous situation as well." The TrustLaw website has been in existence for some time, linking up local NGOs and social entrepreneurs with established law firms who are prepared to offer legal advice on a pro-bono basis. The groups are vetted by Transparency International. More than 450 law firms are already involved including some from China. Among those that have recently benefited have been the charity Riders for Health, which delivers medicine to remote villages, and reviewed its contracts in Nigeria. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/15/worst-place-women-afghanistan-india

lol@hate the game.

some of you might be familar with this beat from hananka by Arr.

''I should maybe host a Solers meeting in Hargeysa this summer'' forget it! lol

Axmad, i definitely agree with you. i've been on the islamic lecture circuits and frankly its a dating agency. perhaps, those somali sistas attendees can meet their revert lovers. not to mention the pea-brain akhis who are too consumed in small talk. the shiekhs are all celebrities and only happy to have their credentials mentioned every 5 secs.

blessed, add my new e-cash credit card to that list. its amazing how money works in Somaliland. you're constantly having to deal in two currencies. Sheraton Djibouti.

^ juxa, this was back in January 2011. We made the journey overland from Somaliland. In hindsight, maybe this wasn't the best idea. All the people were allowed in, despite having no passports. I was refused for 'terrorism'/'passport forgery' related excuses. One week before another guy from the UK was allegedly tortured by the Djiboutian authorities. My colleague was refused because her passport had no pages left to stamp lol and we'd gone to Djibouti to get Ethiopian visas, because we were refused ethiopian visas. Somaliland sucks for overland travel outside its borders. You have to fly especially if you have western passports. i made a toast to the Djiboutian border control with this stunning view in Djibouti earlier this week..... for those colour-conscious among you, i'm really this dark. Sun tanning lol. lol.

In my short but rich experience in Somaliland so far, I thoroughly enjoyed making several epic journeys mostly to the western parts of the country. Travelling overland gives you a more well-rounded experience of the different landscapes of Somaliland. Lawyacaddo, a border town at the Somaliland-Djibouti is probably one of the most dynamic places in Somaliland. A newly created town, its fast becoming an important strategic centre of trade. I spent 3 day in ''the loyo'' as known by locals, awaiting enter to Djibouti. Eventually, I was refused entry, so was my colleague. We made the journey back to Hargeisa travelling on a fuel tanker by the coast. it took three days! it was epic!

very soon they'll be building mega-mosques. what do these types of conference seek to achieve bal?

nuune;728350 wrote: I don't think you met the said 2 men, why, one of them was in Nairobi for 3 weeks(ilka jiir), and never went to Jabuuti this whole year, Faroole on the other hand never accompanied a trip to Jabuuti and Nairobi with ilka-jiir tis whole year. Lastly, you just praised one man, and abused the other. One more last, you just met rodents, not leaders, I hope you were not chewing, this thing if you don't know how to consume, it can even make you meet and seduce that old lady called Butaana I know that much Nuune. I studied these men previously and know exactly how they look. Otherwise, perhaps, this thread should be deleted because its a security threat to my two friends. The last thing I would want to happen is for them to be exposed negotiating with Singaporeans . I only respect decisive leaders, because i can related to them. Its all or nothing. Ilka-Jiir is not an example worthy of following.

Wonderful indeed. These men are patriotic and very much dedicated to the Puntland cause. I had the chance to shake hands with them on one occasion and I must say they were very receptive and quite friendly, nothing like the bogeymen they are portrayed to be on the SOL politics section. Each morning, owning to our innate Somali laziness, we'd have breakfast around the same time. I would, obviously try to avoid having any eye contact with them because I, too, had to pretend to be a ''someone''. On one particular occasion, I heard their conversation, not that I was eavesdropping but the main theme of their discussion was about Somaliland, erigavo and ****** - A potent mix by any stretch of the imagination. On first impressions, Faroole is a giant of a man and looked very much in control of the rest of their delegation, presumably there for an anti-piracy meeting. Ilka-jiir, on the other hand was very much vacant in both attitude and awareness of the situation. He had a strange look about him and it was only when I looked closely that I realised he resembled a rodent.

^quite literally maha. lol

i have over 9,000 post JB. thats if you combine all my accounts together. lol

lol@JB. Obviously.

back in the big H. Ahh the usual smell of body odour and coal being burned is refreshing, to say the least.

cadar doesnt qualify as essential spending.

last day in djibouti. what a wonderful little country. friendly people and so much to do here. but as they say; east or west, home is best! not entirely sure where that is at the moment. djibouti, could for all i know be home lol.

lol@STOIC. You're pathetic! you just have to accept there is some shortcomings in your analysis. i wont call you names but why are asking if the school has spaces for students from the south. would you rather have a quota system in place, allocated to students from the south? because that is how i construed your initial diatribe. education is much like the free market. there shouldn't be any barrier to entry somaha? education is the greatest equaliser and key to social mobility and if it means putting a few quotas in places, why not? quotas have done wonders for the likes of you and me. why deny someone else the opportunity. anyways, I've been to this school to several times and lets just say, there is an authoritarian regime in place. all this pretence of providing a world class education hides a deep dark secret - that somali children are being encouraged to embrace western practices. apparently, you get detention for speaking somali. i'm quite sure you wouldnt want to send children there?

STOIC;728105 wrote: Alpha, Heh.What inferiority complex you talking about? I can sense that you are young and immature little brat...Why do you have to insult people?... I believe in equal opportunity for all Somali student and academic freedom...I think you need to look hard in the mirror and open your horizon to different opinions and views.... oh!, i wonder how you could have possibly come to such conclusions?

che, as to your ealier question. primary and secondary education have made great strides in recent years.

STOIC;728078 wrote: Great and up-to date website...I have said before this is the future of Somaliland (and Somalis as a people)...something from the website caught my eyes..the student in me couldn't resist to check the qualification for admissions to the school...it has defined international student as..."International students: Any students who have NOT lived in Somaliland for at least 3 of the last 5 years" I hope this does NOT apply to any Somali kid residing in Current Somalia (but only to diaspora student).Politics aside I'd love to see any Somali kid who has the opportunity to attend this school not denied admission on the basis of his/her region.The existing academic rules of the school should expressly provide a right to any Somali student who can afford to attend the school regardless to region they hail from.. This school will single handedly shape the future of Somalis by bringing talented students from as far as Mogadishu to Kismayu..... this is a school in somaliland. this means the students will be sourced from the local catchment area. this means that students are most likely from Somaliland. south somalis have developed this inferiority complex, whenever anything progressive is happening, why must you pretend to play the victim card? if there is a decent school is in Garowe, I will most certainly will not make enquiries as to its efficacy. I will try to make a better school and not ask questions about its inclusiveness. STOIC, its seems to me that you want to be a somali from a distance and indulge in non-practical internet based speculation, spreading misinformation in the process.

human rights nonsense.

lol@karl. try eating something healthier.

i use to think somalis were beautiful til i came to somaliland.