structural:summarization
Violence against women in Lesotho

According to the U.N., Lesotho has the highest rape rate of any country (91.6 per 100,000 people reported rape in 2008). International data from UNODC found the incidence of rape recorded in 2008 by the police to be the highest in Lesotho out of any country in the study. A study in Lesotho found that 61% of women reported having experienced sexual violence at some point in their lives, of whom 22% reported being physically forced to have sexual intercourse. In the 2009 D.H.S. survey, 15.7% of men said that a husband is justified in hitting or beating his wife if she refuses to have sex with him, while 16% said a husband is justified in using force to have sex. In another study, researchers concluded that "Given the high prevalence of HIV in Lesotho, programs should address women's right to control their sexuality." The Married Persons Equality Act 2006 gives equal rights to wives regarding their husbands, abolishing the husband's marital power. The World Economic Forum 's 2020 Gender Gap Report ranks Lesotho 88th worldwide for gender parity, while neighboring South Africa ranks 17th.