2. According to the society the girl child means
nothing, but just a doll who works at the
instructions given to her . A girl child is
discriminated in both cities and villages . The
society discriminates girl child in different
manners, the girl child in villages is discriminated
by abuse, forcing to work , forced to child marriage.
In cities girl child is discriminated by child
labour, abuse and making differences between a boy
and a girl. The people usually think that boys are
better performers so the money is usually spent on
boys in matters of education and schooling . The
girl child is treated in a bad manner and is
discriminated in almost every house.

3. Discrimination against female children has been a topic of debate. It has
been a subject of concern and sociological significance. This subject raises
the cultural aspects about the role of a female child in society, what her
human rights are as a human being and a number of sensitive issues. This
issue is important because there is nearly universal consensus on the need
for gender equality. Gender based discrimination against female children
is pervasive across the world. It is seen in all the strata of society and
manifests in various forms . As per the literature, female child has been
treated inferior to male child and this is deeply engraved in the mind of
the female child. Some argue that due to this inferior treatment the
females fail to understand their rights. This is more predominant in India
as well as other lesser developed countries. Sex selection of the before
birth and neglect of the female child after birth, in childhood and, during
the teenage years has outnumbered males to females in India and also in
countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and South Korea. These numbers tell
us quite a harsh story about neglect and mistreatment of the female child
in India.

4. There are two main inequalities as pointed out by Amartya Sen. The
educational inequality and health inequality are the indicators of a woman‟s
status of welfare.
In India irrespective of the caste, creed, religion and social status, the overall
status of a women is lower than men and therefore a male child is preferred
over a female child. A male child is considered a blessing and his birth is
celebrated as opposed to a female child where her birth is not celebrated
and is considered more of a burden. Therefore, education and health care of
the female child in India is an important social indicator to measure
equality between men and women.
According to the 2001 Indian census, overall male-female ratio was 927
females per 1000 males. However, the 2011 Indian census shows that there
are 914 females per 1000 males. During the last decade the number female
children to male children in the youngest age group fell from 945 per 1000
males to 927 per 1000 male . These new figures point out that the use of new
technology contributes to the gender composition.
Furthermore, the availability of and access to new technologies provides new
ways for parent to achieve such goals of sex determination before birth. Due
to the widespread use of this technology the Indian Government banned the
sex determination before birth . In spite of these bans imposed by the
Government, the law is not widely followed.

5. Males - 1000 Females- 927 2001 census
report

6. A social development report presented in 2010 to the World
Bank and UNDP, found that the time a female child and a
male child spends on various activities is similar, with the
exception of domestic work and social/resting time; a female
child spends nearly three forth of an hour more on domestic
work than a male child and therefore lesser hours of social
activity/resting then boys. Despite progress in advancing
gender equity from a legal standpoint, in practice many
women and female children still lack opportunities, and
support for the socio-economic advancement
Historically, the inclusion of young girls and women in
education has helped challenge gender stereotypes and
discrimination .This suggests that providing space for young
girls to develop leadership skills, through education and
healthy living is important. This can shape attitudes towards
women capabilities as leaders and decision makers especially
in conventionally male domains and male dominated
cultures. Because of the sex preference of male children in
India, female children are deemed of resources in the areas
of health and education.

7. Girl child in villages are not preferred
much this is why there are less girls in
the villages. As soon as a girl is born
she is killed by the villagers . Even if the
girl child survives from this
discrimination she has to suffer from
some other kind on discrimination for
example not providing education .
Making her work , not providing
sanitation, teasing , child marriage to
remove burdens etc.

8. “RIGHTS OF THE
GIRL CHILD”

9. The rights of the girl child are as follows –
• The right to Education
• The right to Expression
• The right to Information
• The right to Nutrition
• The right to Health & Care
• The right to protection from Abuse
• The right to protection from Exploitation
• The right to protection from Neglect
• The right to Development
• The right to Recreation
• The right to Name & Nationality
• The right to Survival
• The right to equality
• The right to freedom of speech
• The right to follow any religion
• Right to constitutional remedies

10.  Theaction or fact of treating someone
unfairly in order to benefit from their
work. There are different types of
exploitation –
Physical exploitation
Verbal exploitation
Emotional exploitation
Sexual exploitation
Mental exploitation
Economic exploitation

11. The girl child is discriminated because of her
requirements such as sanitation and education.
The girl child is delicate and needs a lot of care .
While the parents also think that there would be
a lot of money spent while their education and
schooling and marriage. The girl child is given
dowry while marriage that too for people Is a
waste of money .

12. Gender determination is done so just to
check whether the child born is a girl or
a boy if there is a girl she is usually
killed inside the mothers stomach . It is
done using machines and equipments .
Machines for example ultrasound scan
is used for gender determination.

13. A girl child is discriminated before birth
, when there is gender determination
, if the result is a girl she is killed in the
mothers stomach. And after the birth
the girl child is killed or is tortured to
work , or is abused , is not provided
with education , is forced to marriage at
a small age and many other types of
discrimination .

14. There are a no. of organizations working
for the welfare of girl child. They are:
United nations children‟s fund (UNICEF)
World health organization (WHO)
International labour organization (ILO)
Council of Europe (COE)
Status of Women Canada (SWC)
Canadian International Development
Agency (CIDA)
Gender Equality Incorporated (GEI)

15. Women have a biological advantage
over men for long life and survival.
However, in spite of this there are
more men than women. The figures
above support that gender
discrimination of female child is a
basic facility area. Though the
demographic characteristics do not
show much or in some cases , anti-
female bias, there is always a woman
who receives a small piece of the pie.

16. Exploitation in
foreign countries

17. Despite the Women‟s rights movement women are still held back in the work
place. An example of this is the glass ceiling , this is where women and often
minorities are held down in the work place never advancing past a certain
point. Women are often seen as an expense to their employers because they
take days off for children, need time off for maternity leave and are
stereotyped as “more emotional”. The theory that goes hand in hand with
this is known as the Glass Escalator while women are being held down in
male dominated professions, men often rise quickly to positions of authority
in fields with mostly women professionals. Men are pushed forward into
management positions, even surpassing women who have been at the job
longer and with more experience in the field. Not only in work settings but
we see examples of this in our government as well. There has never been
a female president and many did not vote for her because she seemed too
cold, but when she did show emotion people thought she wouldn‟t be able to
handle the job. Double standards are consistently applied so that women are
held down by discrimination.

18. African women was discriminated against men. They had very few or no legal rights, no
access to education and no right to own property. Jobs were often hard to find but many
African women worked as agricultural or domestic workers though wages were
extremely low, if existent. Most African women still earn less than men and are more
likely to be trapped in low-paid,
low-skilled jobs-often in the informal economy. Since 1994, the participation of women in
the
labor force has declined by 1.6%. On the plus side, the number of women in non-
agricultural,
paid employment over the past decade has increased by 3.5%.
Unemployment rates for both men and women in Africa have remained largely unchanged
over the past decade, with women still maintaining lower levels at 7.6% compared to men at
9.1%. In relation to women elsewhere, unemployment rates of African women are lower
than
for women in the European Union, currently at 9.3%.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the number of women in high-status positions - called
legislative, senior
official or managerial (LSOM) jobs - has increased by nearly 3% over the past
decade, reaching
a level of 24.8%. When compared to the number of women in such positions throughout the
world, which is estimated at 28%, the progress by African women can be seen as
encouraging.
One of the more serious examples of gender-based discrimination involves
violence, especially
physical and sexual abuse. In Zimbabwe, a study in 2004 showed that 87.4% of girls with
disabilities had been sexually abused; among them, 52.4% tested HIV positive. Studies in
Namibia and Botswana delivered similar results.

19. Gender discrimination is one of the underlying
factors in the sex-segregated labour market in
Indonesia. Gender issues persist for the large
proportion of women who are engaged in highly
vulnerable work, i.e. in the informal economy, and
in the globalized cheap-labour manufacturing
sectors; in opportunities for
employment, conditions of work and pay; in
decision making in the public and private sectors;
sexual harassment; access to finance; and lack of
protection for internal domestic workers.

20. Women were not allowed to work outside the
home, were forced to wear the burqa and were not
permitted to travel unless they were fully covered
and accompanied by a male family member. In
addition, girls‟ schools were closed down.
According to Oxfam, by 2002, only 5% of women
were literate, and 54% of girls were married before
they were 18 years old. Afghanistan was then
ranked as the country with the second-highest rate
of maternal mortality, with upwards of 15,000
Afghan women dying in childbirth each year.

21. Right from childhood the discrimination against the
girl child is practiced. Girls are not allowed to play
games or go out anywhere unescorted by a male.
This inhibits development of the girl child and
continues till her death. Thus it is no wonder that
Pakistan does not have any women sportspersons
of any standing. In Pakistan women are thought to
be silly creature that cannot think for themselves
and hence not allowed to exercise any choice in
most matters. In addition love marriages are not
allowed and the general status is low. The concept
of honor dictates Pakistan society and hundreds of
women are murdered every year under the garb of
honor.

22. Women in Yemen face systemic discrimination and
endemic violence with devastating consequences
for their lives. Women are not free to marry who
they want and some are forced to marry when they
are children, sometimes as young as eight. Once
married, a woman must obey her husband and
obtain his permission just to leave the house.
Women are dealt with more harshly than men
when accused of “immoral” acts, and men are
treated leniently when they murder female relatives
in “honour killings”.
Such discriminatory laws and practices encourage
and facilitate violence against women, which is rife
in the home and in society at large.

23. Gender imbalance permeates every facet of Nigerian society and comes in
several forms.
(2004) outlined some of the gender discriminatory practices and violence
against women and female
children. Violence against women is the most acute form of gender inequality
in Nigeria. A great majority
of the violence against women can be described as Harmful Traditional
Practices against Women
Some of the common Harmful Traditional Practices against Women in our
communities include
female genital mutilation, child marriage, ritualistic widowhood practices,
nutritional taboos, cult
prostitution, domestic violence, and sexual freedom for husbands. Other
discriminatory practices include
traditional land tenure systems and patterns of inheritance, lack of access to
credit, family preference for
sons, lack of participation in public decision-making, discrimination in
housing and employment,
discriminatory legislation, and discriminatory religious practices, as well as
rape, battery, trafficking in
women, murder, kidnapping, and induced prostitution. They are in serious
need of education.

24. In 2010, Amnesty International reported that according to
national police statistics, 610 cases of rape and 511 cases of
carnal abuse were reported. . Amnesty International also
reports that women and girls are often victims of gang-
related crime in inner city areas. certain acts were passed
to protect the women in Jamaica some of them were –
 The Sexual Offences Act-
which was passed in 2009, creates new provisions for the
prosecution of rape and other sexual offences, including
marital rape, anonymity of complainant in rape and other
sexual offences, as well as incest
 Domestic Violence Act –
It was passed not only to protect the women who are
married but also the women who were not married and
girls.
 Married Women‟s Property Act –
Under the, women have the same rights as men to acquire,
hold and dispose of property and this right is preserved
regardless of marital status

25. In addition to laws, there have been a number
of positive developments to improve the
safety of women and girls in Jamaica. This
includes the establishment of the Centre for
Sexual Offences and Child Abuse
(CISOCA), within the police service, which is
responsible for counseling victims and
investigating sexual crimes and the
implementation of several awareness- rising
and education programs under the
supervision of the Bureau of Women Affairs.

26. There is limited information on whether domestic violence is prohibited by
law. However, the government reported that domestic violence was
covered by the general provisions of criminal law against violence. Sexual
harassment is criminalized under the Penal Code, article 293, which
indicates that „any man who forces a woman into sex, in cases where the
victim works for or reports to him, will be punished with up to two years
of labor training, or in serious cases, up to two years of correctional labor
penalty.
According to the US Department of State, violence against women has been
reported as a significant problem. the government reported that
husbands sometimes treated their wives roughly when they were
drunk. The Korea Institute for National Unification reports that sexual
violence is common place owing to the strong influence of patriarchal
perceptions of male dominance in society and it has increased
significantly since the food crisis in the 1990s.
According to the Central Intelligence Agency, North Korea has a
male/female sex ratio for the total population of 0.94 in 2012.Analysis of
sex ratios across age groups provides some evidence of missing women in
North Korea.

27. Under the Kuwaiti Civil Status Code, married women are in theory protected from
physical and psychological violence from their husbands. But in reality, women are
afforded little legal or practical protection in domestic violence cases, with the
police and courts generally trying to resolve family disputes informally, and no
shelters or other support services available to victims. Lack of data makes it
difficult to estimate the prevalence of violence against women in Kuwait: no
statistics are collected, either by the government or NGOs, and few women report
cases of domestic violence, out of fear or shame. Rape is a criminal offence in
Kuwait, but spousal rape is not recognized. In contrast to the lack of attention
given to physical and sexual assaults that occur within the home, rape and sexual
assault committed outside of the home receive adequate responses from the
police, and perpetrators found guilty face a prison sentence or the death penalty.
Sexual harassment in the workplace is not recognized as a specific crime; this is of
particular concern in regard to domestic workers (see below).So-called „honor‟
killings do occur in Kuwait. Abortion is only legal in cases of fetal impairment, or if
the mother‟s life is in danger. In all cases, the woman‟s husband or male guardian
has to give permission for the procedure to go ahead. Under-five mortality rates are
low overall, and are slightly higher for boys than for girls. No gender-disaggregated
data is available for rates of malnutrition. Gender-disaggregated immunization
rates are also not available, but according to UNICEF. . The male/female sex ratio
for the total population in 2012 is 1.43.Analysis of sex ratio data across age groups
shows elevated sex ratios amongst younger groups, providing evidence that Kuwait
is a country of concern in relation to missing women. The elevated sex ratio for
adults can be attributed to migration.

28. In the past decade, the legal and social infrastructure to reverse
entrenched gender inequalities in Japan have had some impact
on the perception of women in the labor market. According to
research carried out by the Minister for Gender Equality in
2007.
- Employment
The high gender Wage gap between men and women reflect
however the inflexible employment conditions which are too
restrictive for mothers to balance work with childcare, and the
low presence of women in career-track schemes. Workplaces
need to give mothers more opportunities to return to regular
employment
- Political empowerments
Women in Japan were given the right to vote in 1946. The Second
Basic Plan for Gender Equality adopted in December 2005 set as
its goal „raising the percentage of women in leadership positions
in all fields to at least around 30% of the total by 2020‟.
Currently, only 9.4 percent of parliamentary seats in Japan are
occupied by women, and the country is ranked 131st by
the Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM) out of 189 countries
surveyed.

29. There is currently no legislation in place protecting women from
domestic violence, although as of November 2010, a draft law was
under consideration that would allow domestic violence cases to be
heard in closed courts, as well as enabling abused women to file for
protection orders and for courts to force perpetrators to undergo
rehabilitation.
Awareness of violence against women, including domestic
violence, has increased in recent years, thanks largely to efforts by
local and regional NGOs. However, it is impossible to assess the
prevalence of domestic violence in Lebanon, as levels of under-
reporting remain high, with many women afraid to speak out about
violence that they are experiencing at home, for fear of being
blamed for the abuse, or of bringing shame on the family.
Rape is a criminal offence in Lebanon, with a minimum sentence of
five years, but a rapist can escape prison if he agrees to marry his
victim. It is not clear whether the victim‟s consent is necessary in
such circumstances. The law does not recognize spousal rape. There
is also no law dealing specifically with sexual harassment.
So-called „honor‟ killings do take place in Lebanon, although they are
rarely prosecuted and are often reported as suicides, meaning it is
very difficult to ascertain how many women die this way each year

30. New Zealand was ranked fifth in the 2008 Gender
Gap Report, showing strong progress in education
attainment, political empowerment and economic
participation. New Zealand has a long history of
promoting women's equality: it was the first country
to give women the vote in the 19th century and has
strong female representation in politics and the
judiciary.
The points covered are-
 Education and employment
 Legislation
 Political empowerments

31.  At the time of the 2001 Census, young women were
more likely to leave school with a qualification (86
percent) than their male counterparts (81 percent).
Women are now more highly represented in
tertiary Education than ever before. In 2001
women made up more than half (53 percent) of all
tertiary enrolments. There are gendered
differences in subject and vocation choices at
tertiary level, with more women studying health-
related subjects and men studying engineering-
related subjects.
 Despite this level of education attainment, women
have higher rates of participation than men in all
categories of unpaid work, both within and outside
the household.

32. The Domestic Purposes Benefit was introduced in
1973 for all parents (mainly women) caring for
dependent children without the support of a
partner. In the same year, the Accident
Compensation Amendment Act extended
compensation to non-earners, particularly
benefiting women who do full-time unpaid work in
the home. The Human Rights Commission Act was
first introduced in 1979 and was later modified in
1993 to extend the grounds under which
discrimination in employment matters, provision
of goods and services, and access to places, vehicles
and facilities is illegal in New Zealand. It covers
sex, pregnancy, childbirth, sexual
orientation, marital status (including living in a
relationship in the nature of a marriage), family
status (including having or not having
responsibility for care of children or other
dependants), and disability.

33. On 19 September 1893, New Zealand became the
first country in the world to grant women the
right to vote in parliamentary elections.
However, women were not eligible to be
elected to the House of Representatives until
1919. The first woman to win an election was
Elizabeth McCombs in 1933. The first Maori
woman MP was Iriaka Ratana in 1949. In 1989
Helen Clark became the first female Deputy
Prime Minister. In 1997 Jenny Shipley became
the first female Prime Minister after Jim
Bolger lost the support of the National Party.
In 1999, Clark became the second female
Prime Minister, and the first female to actually
win election to the position.

34. Although women in Canada are outnumbering men in terms of
educational attainment at secondary and university level, they
still face a glass ceiling in the labor market and higher tertiary
level. Canada has a relatively high participation rate of women in
the labor market, and there are increasingly more women
employed full-time (courtesy of child-care policies and maternity
leave provisions) but this has not translated in equality in pay.
With one of the largest wage gaps between men and women
amongst OECD countries, women in Canada are still far from
reaching equality in the workplace. There are as many women as
men with university degrees, however there is a declining female
representation among post-graduate students: 27% of doctorate
students, for example, are women. Moreover, females continue
to account for much smaller shares of full-time enrolment in
mathematics and science faculties. In 2001-02, women made up
only 30% of all university students in mathematics and physical
sciences, and just 24% of those in engineering and applied
sciences. Women won the right to vote and stand for election in
Canada in 1921. In the 2011 elections, 76 women (24.7%) were
elected to parliament, a record number and record percentage of
MPs.

35. With an advanced civilization stretching back thousands of years, modern-day China came
into being in 1949, with the establishment of the communist People‟s Republic of
China, under the leadership of Mao Zedong. Under Mao‟s leadership, the country saw
massive social and economic upheaval, with the collectivization of agriculture and the
nationalization of industry, as well as the turmoil of the Great Leap Forward (1958-61)
and the Cultural Revolution (1966-76).With the arrival to power in 1978 of Deng Xiao
Ping, the country embarked on economic reform, and since then, the Chinese economy
has grown considerably; by 2000, output had quadrupled, and by 2010, the country had
become the world‟s largest exporter, according to the CIA World Fact book. While
standards of living have risen for many with economic development, social and economic
inequality are now a pronounced feature of contemporary Chinese society, with
significant discrepancies between rural and urban areas, and between the prosperous
eastern regions of the country, and western China. China is classed as an upper-middle
income country by the World Bank. The 1982 Constitution protects the rights of all
citizens to vote, stand for election, and practice (or not practice) religion, although
elections in China are not considered free or fair by international observers. It does not
include any specific language prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex or
gender. Despite women in China making great strides in educational achievement and
workforce participation. There is now growing concern that the gap between women and
men‟s social and economic status is widening again in the wake of China‟s rapidly
changing economic, social and political conditions. In addition, there remains a severe
imbalance in the nation‟s sex ratios, indicating a significant number of „missing women,‟
thought to be an outcome of the country‟s one-child policy. China ratified the Convention
on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 1980, but
has not yet ratified the Optional Protocol. China is ranked in 101st place in the 2011
Human Development Index, with a score of 0.687; under the Gender Inequality Index, the
country‟s score is 0.209 (35th out of 146 countries).In the 2011 Global Gender Gap
index, China is in 61st place (out of 135 countries), with a score of 0.6866.

36.  The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela was one of three countries to
emerge from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830. Democratically
elected governments have governed the country since 1959. Data
from the National Institute of Statistics showed that in 2004, 61% of
the population still could not meet their basic nutritional needs, and
that around half the population still lived in extreme poverty. The
World Bank classifies Venezuela as an upper middle income country.
 Article 21 of the Constitution of the Republic of Venezuela, adopted
in 1999, upholds equal rights for men and women in all areas of daily
life including within the family, at work, in the community and in
political and economic affairs. It also prohibits all forms of
discrimination. Article 88 recognizes the economic and social value
of domestic work. Article 76 recognizes women‟s sexual and
reproductive rights. Venezuela ratified the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in 1983.
 With respect to access to education, the World Economic Forum
reports that Venezuela has reached gender parity in
primary, secondary and tertiary education enrolments which
suggests that there is no preferential treatment of sons with respect
to education.
 The male/female sex ratio for the total population in 2012 is 0.98.
 There is no evidence to suggest that Venezuela is a country of
concern in relation to missing women.

37.  There are no reported legal restrictions on women’s
freedom of access to public space in Venezuela.
However, as described in the Physical Integrity
section, the threat of gender-based violence in Venezuela
impinges upon women’s freedom of movement.
 Article 88 of the Constitution provides that the State
shall guarantee the equality and equity of men and
women in the exercise of the right to work. It also
provides that the government should recognize
housework as an economic activity which creates added
value and produces wealth and social well-
being. Women’s right to equal pay is also guaranteed in
the Constitution.

38. Viet Nam became a unified country again in 1975, at the end of a three-decade long
armed conflict between communist forces and French colonial, and then
American troops. The conflict resulted in large numbers of civilian casualties, as
well as considerable environmental degradation. A socialist country, market
reforms were introduced in the 1980s and 1990s, and since then, the country‟s
economy has grown massively; while this has brought wealth to some, it is
exacerbated social and economic inequality, particularly between urban and
rural areas. Viet Nam is classed as a lower-middle income country by the World
Bank. The Constitution of Viet Nam enshrine the principle of gender
equality, and specifically prohibits the violation of women‟s rights. In regard to
legal rights, the position of Vietnamese women has improved over the past
decades. In 2006, the National Assembly passed the country‟s first Law on
Gender Equality. This law aims to address a range of issues (such as wage gaps)
and eliminate discrimination based on gender. The position of women varies
considerably among Viet Nam‟s 54 official ethnic groups. Harmful practices such
as such as the marriage of young girls and marriage of a widow to her deceased
husband‟s brother are prevalent among some groups, despite being prohibited by
law since 2000, Public life is still traditionally viewed as a predominantly male
domain, while women remain responsible for unpaid work in the household. This
is particularly true in rural areas and in the highlands, where women also face
limited education and employment opportunities, and access to healthcare. Viet
Nam ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination
against Women (CEDAW) in 1982, but has not yet ratified the Optional
Protocol. Under the 2011 Human Development Index, Viet Nam is ranked in
128th place (out of 187 countries), with a score of 0.593. The country‟s score in the
Gender Inequality Index for 2011 is 0.305 (48 out of 146 countries). Viet Nam‟s
ranking in the 2011 Global Gender Gap Index is 79 (out of 135 countries), with a
score of 0.6732.

39. Female children, girls and women are all
victims of discrimination and widow
destitute old women are the worst sufferers.
It is thought that mentally and physically
women are not suitable for many jobs. Most
parents want to have male children so that
they can supplement their family income and
help with the domestic work when the
parents will grow older. In the existing socio
economic set up, male children are best
suited to this purpose. So parents think the
female child a burden to them.

49. All forms of discrimination against the girl child and violation of
rights shall be eliminated by undertaking strong measures both
preventive and punitive within and outside family. These would
relate specifically to strict enforcement of laws against prenatal
sex selection and the partices of female foeticide,femalee
infanticide,child marriage,child abuse and child protection etc.
Do you agree?
ye
no