Poll finds Egypt is worst Arab state for women, Comoros best

Egypt is the worst country in the Arab world in which to be a woman, according to a new poll of gender experts, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. 

The survey, conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, found that Egypt is plagued by sexual harassment, high rates of female genital cutting, and a surge in violence and Islamist feeling following the Arab Spring uprisings.

A UN report in April said 99.3 percent of women and girls in Egypt are subjected to sexual harassment.

The country also suffers from discriminatory laws and a rise in trafficking, placing it at the bottom of the ranking of 22 Arab states.

Iraq ranked second-worst, followed by Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen.

The island nation of Comoros -- where 20 percent of ministerial positions are held by women -- was ranked first, followed by Oman, Kuwait, Jordan, and Qatar.