Because I am a girl: the state of the girl child in India 2009

"Discrimination and injustice against girls and women manifests itself in myriad forms - female foeticide, infanticide, chronis neglect, unequal wages, non-recognition of their contribution to family labour, lack of access and control over resources, feminisation of poverty, increasing violence and crime against girls and women. More than others, girls from the poor communities bear the brunt of all this and more. There is an urgent need for their priorities to be understood, voices heard and needs met. While there are many more girls in the traps of poverty and injustice in India that ever before, there are many more girls today whose lives have changed because of the good work being done by NGOs, corporates and governments. And both these stories need to be told - the stories of problems faced by girls, as also the stories of achievement and empowerment of girls. The State of the Girl Child in India Report 2009 seeks to capture both these aspects surrounding girls in India today.