In addition to the deaths of infants and children due to malnourishment and disease, innumerable and unrecorded numbers of girl children are killed within hours of being born while many others are killed in the womb itself. Patriarchal norms, low status of women and preference for male children are the primary reasons that threaten survival of female children in India. The alarming fact is that female infanticide or fetuses has increased over the past few decades. While in 1960 there were 976 girls born for every 1000 boys, in 2001, there are only 927 girls for every 1000 boys.

• 1 out of every 6 girls does not live to see her 15th birthday.
• Of the 12 million girls born in India, 1 million do not see their first birthday.
• Every sixth girl child’s death is due to gender discrimination.
• 1 out of 4 girls is sexually abused before the age of 4.
• Female mortality exceeds male mortality in 224 out of 402 districts in India.
• Death rate among girls below the age of 4 years is higher than that of boys. Even if she escapes infanticide or feticide, a girl child is less likely to receive immunization, nutrition or medical treatment compared to a male child.
• 53% of girls in the age group of 5 to 9 years are illiterate.