The
issue of sex-selective abortion continues to remain a concern although the
steps undertaken to combat it, have made positive progress in recent years.
The reports
prepared by the Human Rights Defender over the years serve as evidence for the
existence of the problem.
It is
a manifestation of discrimination against woman that the pregnancy is
terminated when the sex of the child is known, giving preference to the boys
instead of girls.
Studies
demonstrate that the causes of the problem are profound and diverse, but as a
factor, such a discriminatory decision can be influenced, for example, by the traditionally
instilled gender perceptions in the society, by the clear preference for having
a son, and by the stereotypes about the role of women.
Moreover,
some studies show that there are cases when having a female child can cause
problems for a woman in the family, who will thus often get blamed for not having
given birth to a son. This critical approach can lead to women also aspiring to
give birth to a son, guided by the notion of "having an advantageous position
in the family", "strengthening their status", "having a
guarantee of stability for the future".
Another
issue arises as sometimes women do not make the decision to carry out an
abortion independently; they may take this step under pressure or even under coercion
from family members.
The
deviation of the sex ratio between men and women in Armenia has become apparent
ever since 1991, and in 2000 it reached up to 120 boys - 100 girls, while the
norm for such a ratio is 102-103 boys and 100 girls.
According
to the data of the Ministry of Health of Armenia, the average index of the
girl-boy ratio among those born in 2008-2012 was 100-115 in 2014, it was
100-113,4 in 2015; 100-112,7, in 2016; 100-111,9 in 2017; 100-109,8, in 2018;
100-111 in 2019; 100-110, and in 9 months in 2020, 100-111,3.
The
statistics serve as evidence for the existence of the problem, which is
especially pronounced in the case of the third child.
According
to the 2020 demographic data published by the
Statistical Committee of the
Republic of Armenia, the sex ratio according to the order of birth is 1.04
for the first child, 0.07 for the second child, 1.27 for the third child, and
1.26 for the fourth child.
A
comparative study of the sex ratio shows that there is a positive shift,
especially in the case of the second child; as for the first child, the index
remained unchanged, and in the case of the next children the ratio coefficients
developed positively compared to the previous year, decreasing from 1.40 or
1.32 to 1.27 and 1.26. However, in this case the problem still remains
unresolved, requiring further efforts.
Regardless
of all the efforts, the problem has not been resolved systematically yet.
Studies
demonstrate that the problem can become of latent, and the experts state that
it is already possible to determine the sex of the fetus at an earlier stage,
given the development of medical technology.
It
becomes apparent that the measures undertaken to address this problem cannot be
restricted by the prohibition of sex-selective abortion from 12 to 22 weeks of
pregnancy by legislative regulations or by public awareness alone.
Comprehensive
measures should be taken to address the root causes of the issue.
Combating
the issue of sex-selective abortion and its prevention should be combined with the
measures aimed to build women's capacity, their freedom of decision-making and
raising awareness of other rights, as well as measures to strengthen control
over health care providers.
For
more details, view the annual report.
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