Europarliament approves Cyprus MEP report on gendercide

The European Parliament approved on Wednesday a report tabled by Cypriot MEP Antigoni Papadopoulou on "gendercide", with the deputy saying it was approved by a majority of 500 MEPs, having already been discussed in the past but rejected due to strong objections.

The report notes that gendercide is a rising but under-reported problem in several countries, as recent estimates of the distorted sex ratios between men and women have raised the number of women missing from the world’s population to approximately 200 mln.

It also notes that gendercide is a global issue, not confined to Asia and Europe but also observed in North America, Africa and Latin America. The report specifically explores the causes, current trends and consequences of gendercide and suggests ways of combating the gender-biased sex selection practices.

"These missing women are victims either of sex selection during pregnancy through prenatal sex detection and selective abortion, or of infanticide or child neglect following birth," the report notes.

"Gendercide is the result of a deeply entrenched ‘son preference’, rooted in cultural and economic perceptions and accentuated by declining fertility and pressures to have smaller families," the report notes, adding that a culture of persistent son preference intensifies persisting gender inequalities and stereotypes against women, preventing them from fully enjoying equal treatment in employment and educational opportunities in many countries.