India along with China boasts one of the biggest population of minor's (18 and under) in the world according to a report posted by UNDESA in 2012. In this statistic we find the reality of young girls in India, while the ministry of India has been making improvements through legislation traction has been slow and hard to come by. With the increased awareness of gender selection and the mistreatment of the girls of India it's our hope that we can soon start to see a breakthrough. Gender inequality in India is nothing new and the statistics are heartbreaking.
• While one in every five adolescent boys is malnourished, one in every two girls in India is undernourished
• 1 out of every 6 girls does not live to see her 15th birthday.
• An Indian girl child aged 1-5 years is 75% more likely to die than an Indian boy. Every 6th girl child’s death is due to gender discrimination. Even if she escapes infanticide or foeticide, a girl child is less likely to receive immunisation, nutrition or medical treatment compared to a male child.
• 1 out of 4 girls is sexually abused before the age of 4.
• 53% of girls in the age group of 5 to 9 years are illiterate.
• 48% of women in India aged 20-24 were married or are in union before aged 18 years, and almost 1 in 5 were married before aged 15 years.
Attempts have been made to improve the conditions of those who are mentioned above, but with 400 million children making up roughly 40% of the India population, keeping up is almost impossible to do. Many of these young ladies and young men will never have the ability to live what they would consider a normal or successful life. The only change they truly have is for those with the ability to make a difference help spread the word about the rising problem for the young girls of India. To join the fight follow us on twitter @OpportunityHope and share this story with your friends. Help make a difference in their lives by spreading awareness.
