Countries: China
Variables: ISSA-PRACTICE-1

"[T]he old idea of male superiority and preference for the male child has yet to be eradicated" (6). "In order to address foetal sex identification for non-medical purposes, sex-selective abortion and related practices, a comprehensive control mechanism has been established that combines whole-of-society participation with interdepartmental collaboration. Countrywide special operations have been conducted to hold entities and individuals involved in these practices accountable in accordance with the law” (13).

Countries: Kazakhstan
Variables: ISSA-PRACTICE-1

"The Committee commends the State party for favouring the involvement of fathers in childcare, including through the promotion of paternity leave. However, it is concerned about the following: Reportedly, fathers often prefer boys to girls, which may affect girls’ self-esteem and self-confidence and hinder their transition into an active and participatory adult life" (p.6-7).

Countries: Afghanistan
Variables: ISSA-PRACTICE-1

"In Afghanistan, strong son preferences render women with lower social capital. A practice was created to overcome this gender bias, known as bacha posh, which literally translates to ‘dressing up as a boy’" (para 1). "In this context of rigid gender roles and inequalities, some Afghan families engage in a practice known in Dari as bacha posh... Bacha posh refers to young girls who are dressed and treated as boys for a period" (para 10). "Participants discussed multiple reasons why girls would become bacha posh, but the overarching reason was son preference. First, there is a common superstitious belief which suggests that if one's youngest daughter is dressed as a...more

Countries: Azerbaijan
Variables: ISSA-PRACTICE-1

"In order to monitor, inside the families, the status of children (girls) adopted, put under guardianship or custodianship, specific groups are created in places. Children (girls) that do not possess identity documents are issued relevant papers. The Social Institute is established to work with children. The cooperation is fostered with relevant NGOs and international organizations to fight the cases when minors are deprived of parental care and ensure their social rehabilitation" (17).

Countries: Afghanistan
Variables: ISSA-PRACTICE-1

"Now it has become very scary for us, we know the Taliban only value men" (para 25). "They value a boy and hold a woman as nothing" (para 31).

Countries: Afghanistan
Variables: ISSA-PRACTICE-1

"[W]hen baby boys are born, families pause having children because the boy is considered an asset to the household and needs breast-feeding. But this is not the case with girls" (para 18).

Countries: China
Variables: ISSA-PRACTICE-1

"In December 2005, the Chinese Government issued the Circular on the Wide-Ranging Implementation of the Action Plan for the “Care for Girls” Campaign and the Imperative to Comprehensively Deal with the High Sex Ratio at Birth, and carried out extensive and in-depth “Care for Girls” activities across the country. Meanwhile, education activities aimed at bringing about a change in the stereotyped conceptions that value boys over girls, sponsored jointly by thirteen ministries, have been unfolding at the national level for the thirteenth consecutive year. These activities have served to further clarify the responsibilities of relevant ministries and to guide people in changing stereotypes and prejudices such as “male superiority”, “having...more

Countries: India
Variables: ISSA-PRACTICE-1

"With a sex ratio that is skewed in favour of men, India has had a problem of missing women for a long time. Last year, a government report found that 63 million women were "missing" from India's population because the preference for sons led to sex-selective abortions and more care was given to boys. Separately, economists Shamika Ravi and Mudit Kapoor estimated that more than 65 million women - some 20% of the female electorate - were missing. This included women who were not registered to vote and women 'who were not in the population because of gross neglect' (worsening sex ratio, which reflected the gross neglect). So elections, they...more

Countries: El Salvador
Variables: ISSA-PRACTICE-1

"On August 16, Evelyn Hernandez was released from prison after serving two years on charges that she attempted to kill her baby in 2016. The court opined that the evidence presented by the prosecution was insufficient to support the charges, relying heavily on an autopsy of the baby that showed it had died because of swallowing meconium. The prosecutor had requested a 40-year prison sentence. On September 6[2019], the Attorney General’s Office filed an appeal of the order acquitting her. Between January 1 and September 13[2019], the justice system released nine women accused or convicted of infanticide of their unborn or newborn children. Sixteen other women remained in custody for...more

Countries: India
Variables: ISSA-PRACTICE-1

"Certain states maintained government reservations for government jobs and subsidies for adults with no more than two children and reduced subsidies and access to health care for those who have more than two. According to the NGO Lawyers Collective, such policies often induced families to carry out sex selection for the second birth to assure they have at least one son without sacrificing future eligibility for political office" (47). "The Ministry of Finance, also in 2018, issued a report that indicated 63 million women were statistically 'missing' due to sex-selective abortions" (48). "According to media reports, the taboo and fear of giving birth to a girl child drove some women...more

Countries: India
Variables: ISSA-PRACTICE-1

"[T]here are many gender issues in the society that ought to get due space in the media, such as gender discrimination, female foeticide and violation of women's rights" (para 6). This is in reference to the region of Kashmir (CAT - CODER COMMENT).

Countries: North Korea
Variables: ISSA-PRACTICE-1

"Defectors and media also reported that the government carried out infanticide or required mothers to commit infanticide if they were political prisoners, persons with disabilities, raped by government officials or prison guards, or forcibly repatriated from the People’s Republic of China" (2).

Countries: Denmark, Finland, Norway
Variables: ISSA-PRACTICE-1

"The Miranda et. al. study pointed out the outcomes of scholarly studies that demonstrate the preference for girls over boys across Scandinavian countries with strong gender equality policies, particularly Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, though not Finland..." (para 4). "The Miranda et. al. study linked its findings to the continued progress of gender revolution in Scandinavia, where women are given greater opportunities to develop their potential as actors in the public sphere. It underscored that daughters are deemed more valuable to parents in terms of socially desirable traits, including wage-earning and dutiful caring" (para 5).

Countries: Sweden
Variables: ISSA-PRACTICE-1

"...Sweden is often ranked in the top 5 of gender-equal countries, yet there is a little-known fact about Sweden: Parents prefer to give birth to female children than males, according to a study. A 2018 study by Vitor Miranda et. al. ('Parents’ Preferences for Sex of Children in Sweden: Attitudes and Outcomes') attributes this to the Swedish context that is based on individualism and a generous welfare system. In many parts of the world, male children are seen as income generators of the family, while girls are regarded as domestic labor supply for the household. The dynamics of birth preferences change according to social context. In Sweden, the main factors...more

Countries: Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia
Variables: ISSA-PRACTICE-1

"Still, Montenegro was flagged by UN and European experts nearly a decade ago as suffering more than most from a birth imbalance, with indicators also high among regional neighbors Albania, Kosovo, and parts of what is now North Macedonia" (Para 26).