In India, 4.6 Lakh Girls Go Missing at Birth while One Out of Four Become Child Brides2Photo© news18.com

In India, 4.6 Lakh Girls Go Missing at Birth while One Out of Four Become Child Brides

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A United Nations report on Tuesday showed that 4.6 crore women are “missing” in India, as a result of sex selection that prefers a male child over a female child. Sex selection is prohibited by law in India.

In its State of World Population Report, 2020, the United Nations Population Fund said globally, the number of “missing” women is 14.2 crore.

The report also said that India (50%) and China (40%) account for 90% of the 12 lakh girls “missing” annually at birth due to gender-biased sex selection. Sex ratio measures the number of females born for every 1,000 males. The report added that gender-biased sex selection tends to be higher among wealthy families, but percolates down to lower-income families over time, as sex selection technologies become more accessible and affordable.