Skewed sex ratios likely to affect Vietnam and Nepal
Aarti Dhar
HYDERABAD: Skewed sex ratios are likely to affect Vietnam and Nepal in the coming years unless action is taken now. While India and China, with the most dramatic imbalance between births of boys and girls, are stepping up efforts to address the issue, more concerted measures to promote gender equality are urgently needed.
These are the findings of a new series of studies commissioned by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) according to which pre-natal son selection in several Asian countries is likely to have severe social consequences in the coming years. Life could become harder for many girls and women outnumbered by males, as pressure to conform increases. A growing number of men will be unable to find wives, which could lead to sexual violence and trafficking of women. The study released at the Fourth Asia pacific Conference on reproductive and sexual health here on Monday said with family sizes falling, Asians have increasingly used technologies to determine sex of foetuses and aborted unwanted females. The resulting skewed sex ratios at birth have been noticeable in China over the 15 years, rising to 120 males to every 100 females born in 2005.
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