By Daniel Agu
LONDON (chatnewstv.com) — A troubling pattern has emerged within the Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom, as newly analyzed data and expert testimony point to a record imbalance in birth ratios that suggests some parents may be illegally aborting baby girls.
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) analyzed for the period between 2021 and 2025 shows that among Indian-born mothers in Britain, the ratio of male to female births reached a record high of approximately 118 boys for every 100 girls. This figure significantly exceeds the national average of 105 boys per 100 girls and surpasses the government’s upper threshold for natural variation, which is set at 107.
Experts note that while the ratio for first and second children remains within normal limits, the disparity widens sharply for third pregnancies. In the 2023/24 financial year, the ratio for third children born to Indian mothers rose to 118 boys for every 100 girls, prompting concerns that families with existing daughters may be terminating pregnancies if the fetus is female.
“The data shows how boys are being favoured more than girls,” said Rani Bilkhu, founder of the domestic abuse charity Jeena International. “This is symptomatic of community pressures—whether from husbands, in-laws, or extended family—leading women to abort girls.”
Sex-selective abortion is illegal in the UK under the Abortion Act of 1967. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has maintained an “unequivocal” stance that terminating a pregnancy based on gender is a criminal offense. A recent DHSC report estimated that approximately 400 baby girls may have been “missing” from birth records due to these practices between 2017 and 2021.
However, advocates argue that current laws are difficult to enforce. “I feel boys in the Indian community have what I call ‘prince syndrome,’” Bilkhu added. “They are seen as inherently better. This is not just an issue about abortion; it is fundamentally about gender equality and the beliefs that boys carry the family name while girls do not.”
Pro-life groups and human rights organizations have called for more robust monitoring. A spokesperson for Right to Life UK described the findings as the “tip of the iceberg,” warning that the true scale of the issue may be masked by the relatively small size of ethnic minority datasets.
The revelations have prompted calls for enhanced training for healthcare professionals to recognize signs of reproductive coercion. Campaigners argue that without addressing the cultural roots of son preference, legislation alone may fail to protect vulnerable women and their unborn children.
