From yesterday's Asian Pacific Post:

A recent United Nations Population Fund report said the practice of gender selection is widespread in India, where affluent parents are killing tens of thousands of fetal girls per year, hoping for a boy instead....

According to a 2001 census, the overall birthrate for India was 927 girls per 1,000 boys, a steady decline from 945 girls per 1,000 boys in 1991 and 962 in 1981.

These statistics mean that, as a result of abortions or killing girls in infancy, up to 5 million baby girls "disappear" from India every year.

To counter the growing trend, the government is displaying large posters featuring images of little girls with messages like: "I am yours. Do not kill me."