The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), after deliberating with Georgetown University’s Women’s Peace and Security Index, the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap report, and the Institute for Economics and Peace Global Peace Index, Rwanda has been listed as the second safest country for solo female travelers because of its dedication to women’s participation and safety, as well as its warm and inviting hospitality.
In order to learn what made them feel safe, and get their personal travel tips, BBC spoke to women who have traveled alone to top-ranking countries, and to also find out the best things to see and do as a solo adventurer.
According to the Women’s Peace and Security Index, Rwanda’s parliament is 60% made up of women representatives and it ranks first place in the world for gender equality in parliament. Also, it ranks highly in the index’s perception of community safety. It is listed at number six on Global Gender Gap Index in the world, which shows how unprejudiced a country is regarding economics, education, healthcare, and political involvement.
The Rwandan government still maintains the notion that women are the overwhelming force powering the development and transformation journey in Rwanda.
Furthermore, women still encounter unique challenges when they venture abroad alone in spite of the growing trend of solo travel. They still face discrimination and safety concerns in every part of the world even though everywhere in the world should be safe for women to travel. However, many countries have put a concerted effort into improving safety for women and measuring attitudes that female residents have towards safety in their country.
The BBC Travel article, in addition to Rwanda, also stated other countries that made it to the top of the list, including, Slovenia, UAE, Japan, and Norway. These top five countries share several common factors such as women’s financial inclusion, absence of legal discrimination, women’s community safety, low rates of violent crime, and a low number of external or internal conflicts.