Gospel for Asia released a shocking new report the week after Mother’s Day detailing the tragic reality that there are 100 million fewer women in Africa and Asia than there should be. In the words of the report, they “simply do not exist.” Sex trafficking, inadequate healthcare for pregnant women, poor nutrition for young girls, female infanticide and sex-selective abortion all contribute to the crisis, as the ministry details in theirreport“One Million Missing Women.”
On average, there are 105 male births for every 100 female births around the world. However, In Asia and Africa, there are 106 males for every 100 females. While this may not appear to be a significant difference, but when by the billions of people who in Africa and Asia, the numbers are startling. “100 Million Missing Women,” tells the stories behind the numbers.
A press release summarizing the content of the report highlights several troubling trends. First, sex-selective abortion and “abortions that go wrong” contribute to the 100 million missing women. In cultures that highly value sons and devalue daughters, sex-selective abortions and female infanticide are rampant. In addition, in food insecure families with a daughter and a son, parents often overfeed the son while neglecting to adequately feed the daughter.
Gospel for Asia’s founder, Dr. K.P. Yohannan, explained the cycle of malnutrition and death caused by this practice.
“Malnourished girls become malnourished women, prone to miscarriages, stillbirths, infant deaths, and multiple pregnancy complications that can result in the mother’s death. To illustrate the problem, only one out of every 46,000 women dies during childbirth in Ireland, but in India, one out of 70 women perishes while giving birth.
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Read more about the Gospel for Asia special report on the100 Million ‘Missing Women’ and the Aftermath of Acute Gender Imbalance.
