Women, Peace, and Security Index 2023/24

All countries in the top quintile are in the Developed Countries group or the Central and Eastern Europe and Central 1 2 | WOMEN, PEACE, AND SECURITY INDEX 2023/24 BOX 1 The structure of the WPS Index The Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Index captures 13 The WPS Index captures 13 indicators of women’s indicators of women’s status classified under three dimen- status classified under three dimensi. [...] On a scale of 0 to 4, the access to justice indicator scores countries on the in the justice dimension extent to which women have secure and effective paths toward justice, including (women’s access to justice the ability to bring cases to court, participate in fair trials, and seek proper redress and maternal mortality), and and defense measures when their rights are violated. [...] At the regional and country group level, Developed Coun- tries and Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia perform best on average, Of the 177 countries on the and Fragile States and Sub- Saharan Africa perform worst (see box 1.1 on country WPS Index, Denmark leads and regional groups and countries new to the index). [...] All countries in the top quintile are in the Developed Countries group or the Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia region except for the United Arab Emirates, in the Middle East Of the dozen worst-performing and North Africa region, which ranks 22nd. [...] The sensitive nature of the survey questions and the reporting barriers women face, such as a lack of trust in author- ities and fear of shame or victim blaming, add to the difficulties of collecting data.12 Responsible data collection requires highly specialized teams trained to protect the dignity and safety of survivors.