By IANS,
New Delhi : A new report listing India as the fourth most dangerous country to be born in as a woman is a reminder of the low status of women here, international NGO Save the Children said Thursday.
In a survey compiled by Thomson Reuters Foundation, India is listed along with Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan and Somalia as the top five countries in the world where it is not safe to be a woman, a statement said.
“India ranks high on the list because of the high levels of female foeticide and infanticide. This report comes on the heels of the 2011 census released in India, which showed that the child sex ratio has declined to an all-time low of 914 girls for every 1,000 boys,” said Thomas Chandy, CEO of Save the Children.
“If the census had not come as a wake-up call that all is not well for the girl child in India, then this latest report hopefully will,” he added.
The statement said that according to the UN Population Fund, approximately 50 million girls have gone missing over the past century because of female infanticide and foeticide.
“The figures are shocking and mock the progress made by India on all fronts. The reason for this trend may be rooted in a cultural patriarchal mindset that values male children,” Chandy said.
A high rate of maternal mortality is also a point of concern, the NGO said.