11 Worst Countries for Solo Female Tourists: Sexual Harassment and Rape

With solo travel among women becoming more popular than ever, reasonable care should be taken while visiting the countries considered as the worst countries for solo female tourists: sexual harassment and rape. It is true that the world has become extremely women traveler-friendly in the recent years. Technology has played a part too. With forums and blogs coming up and information being disseminated effectively now, traveling has on a general grade become much safer than it used to be. But, on the down side of the story, some places still remain the marked areas on the world map where women should be thinking twice (or preparing twice as much) before venturing into.

These are the places which are known to be hostile towards lone female travelers and being prone to crimes like rape and sexual harassment. Over the years there have been various institutional and organizational data generated on rape occurrences throughout the world but to compile a list such as this good judgment and caution is required to be exercised in order to provide a fair picture. That is because for an issue as sensitive as rape statistics often appear to be skewed due to the number of unreported occurrences being frequent. More often, the countries where these crimes are the most rampant are also the countries where rapes and sexual crimes are considered as taboo. Cases go unnoticed and unregistered because the victims fail to report in fear of societal backlash.

We didn’t rely on official rape statistics for these rankings, or otherwise perfectly safe countries such as Sweden, USA, and Australia would come up on this list. This would happen because, in the developed countries, rape crimes are more frequently reported, because rape victims have more awareness and are not afraid of social repercussion. For this kind of delicate topic, it is impossible to use official data and truly answer the question – what are the worst countries for solo female tourists when it comes to sexual harassment and rape.

Therefore, to make sure it reflects as much accurate information as possible from the solo traveler perspective, Insider Monkey has drawn up this list by researching dependable sources such as advisory and travel warnings in lieu of specific countries issued by US State Dept. Advisory and other State Travel Advisories. We have also looked up specific news articles for cases where female travelers have been subjected to ill-treatment and sexual crimes and also considered general opinion expressed by travelers on travel forums about general security in these countries. The list has been ranked according to the number of cases that have been discovered and the severity of the warnings issued against the respective countries. Also, we have limited our list to the countries which are considered to be as destinations for travel excluding the areas which have general conditions of political or social flux and considered as the “no-travel zone” anyway.

Apart from the countries pointed out here, also take a note of the 25 Most Dangerous Cities in the World which are also advised to be traveled to with caution.

So, let’s take a look at the Worst Countries for Solo Female Tourists: Sexual Harassment and Rape.

11. Indonesia (Gili Islands),

While most of Indonesia is actually safe and Bali may the ultimate haven for female travelers, some notorious areas in the country do exist. Lombok’s Gili Islands might make for a nice getaway for explorers, however while the area has been infamous for drug tourism, rapes cases have also been prevalent in this so-called scenic paradise.

10. Tanzania,

While the country depends heavily on tourism for its foreign exchange, the surge of violence against women has threatened its tourism position lately. Several cases of sexual violence have said to have been occurred including the daytime rape of a tourist from US while returning from the beach to the hotel.

9. Cameroon,

Stay especially vigilante while using transportation. Taxis are said to be especially dangerous as they operate more like a bus-service. Numerous cases have happened where taxi drivers have been involved in rapes and assaults. Underreporting of rape cases have also been a serious problem.

8. Papua New Guinea,

Societal conditions and outlook towards women are horrendous in the country with over 60% of rape rates. The US Travel Advisory has issued warnings against sexual assault in the region including gang rapes of both local women and tourists. After-dark conditions are especially dangerous.

7. The Bahamas,

While the Caribbean might be the dream holiday spot for many, The Bahamas have the highest incidence of rape in the region according to UN report on crime, violence and development trends. Most of the rapes have occurred outside tourist spots but the popular spots aren’t entirely immune either.

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6. Mexico City,

Rape of travelers has been a serious problem in the country. There have been instances of spiked drinks and acquaintance rapes. The country still attracts many tourists and not all areas are prone to crimes but women are advised to stay vigilant at all times. Also other forms of violence, drug trafficking, carjacking are frequent.

5. Kenya,

Westerners have been victims of kidnappings and armed robberies, grenade attacks and other violent crimes. There have been instances of home invasions and attacks on women are not uncommon. The general conditions of violence and frequent terrorist attacks also make Kenya one of the worst countries for solo female travelers: sexual harassment and rape.

4. Brazil,

There have been several cases of rapes of western tourists. Crime occurrence is the greatest around tourist areas like beaches, bars, discotheques, and nightclubs. “Quicknappings” close to ATMs and banks are also common and there have been instances of rape on such victims.

3. Egypt,

Crimes against women have been on the rise in Egypt and western women are adviced to exercise reasonable caution while traveling and take care to cover their heads or wear a scarf at all times. The US Embassy receives rape and street harassment reports on a regular basis.

2. Honduras,

Honduras is torn with criminal activity and rapes are no exception. There have been several cases of armed rapes and assaults. Kidnappings are also widespread and homicide rate is the highest per capita. All in all, not a very good idea to go there alone!

1. India,

Sadly, whenever rapes and sexual violence are being discussed, India inevitably crops up in the list. The country has been infamous for crimes against women leading to travel warning being issued by several governments. Every year news articles pour in about tourist rapes and even widespread protests have brought about little change. Street harassment is common too, and solo travelers are advised to dress conservatively and stay clear of secluded areas.

Sometimes it might be inevitable to travel due to business and you should not miss out on a country on your travel list as not all areas in a country are equally susceptible to harassment. However, it is only wise to take necessary precautions while traveling to these countries for leisure or work and our intention is to spread awareness about the potential threats in the 11 worst countries for solo female tourists: sexual harassment and rape.