Less than half the women in 57 developing countries are denied the right to say no to sex with their partners, to decide whether to use contraception, or to seek health care, a U.N. report said Wednesday.
The report by the U.N. Population Fund said the data covers only about one-quarter of the world's countries, over half in Africa.
But the findings paint an alarming picture of the state of bodily autonomy for millions of women and girls who don't have the power to make choices about their bodies and their futures without fear or violence, it said.
The fund said only 55 per cent of girls and women in the 57 countries are able to decide whether to have sex, whether to use contraception and when to seek health care such as sexual and reproductive health services.