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Women and girls have been hit the hardest by the global recession, BBC reported, citing child rights and development organisations.

"The world is failing girls and women," a report by Plan International and the Overseas Development Institute said.

A shrinking economy sent girls' infant mortality soaring, and more females were abused or starved, they said.

This could erode gains made in recent years towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals, they added.

"The improvements made during the last five years are very fragile," Nigel Chapman, chief executive of child rights organisation Plan International, told BBC News.

"It is shocking, because I don't think anyone's really noticing it."

The problems started when the girls were very young, Mr Chapman explained.

"Girls are the largest marginalised group in the world," said Mr Chapman, who is also the author of the report.

The proportion of baby girls who died when the economy shrank rose five times faster than the proportion of baby boys who died, he said.

Hence, a 1% fall in economic output increases infant mortality by 7.4 deaths per 1,000 girls against 1.5 for boys, said Mr Chapman, citing World Bank research into previous crisis in 59 countries.

"It's the most stark example of the impact of exacerbated poverty," said Mr Chapman.