Uniting Voices, Valuing Girls: Advocating for
Equality and Accountability Against GBSS
Uniting Voices, Valuing Girls: Advocating for
Equality and Accountability Against GBSS
Girls Count is committed to addressing Gender-Biased Sex Selection (GBSS) and enhancing the value of girls. By uniting voices from civil society organisations across India, we amplify advocacy against GBSS and raise the accountability of different stakeholders for protecting the rights of women and girls. Our work mostly includes organising public campaigns, capacity building of different stakeholders, conducting in-depth research, and undertaking public advocacy.
Public Campaigns
Public Campaigns
Public campaigns are the driving force behind Girls Count, pushing for change to address gender-biased sex selection and enhance the value of girls. Our campaigns sensitise communities, challenge societal norms, and encourage stakeholders to take action at every level. Our campaigns are targeted at creating awareness around son preference and daughter unwantedness among youths, panchayat representatives, CSOs, policymakers, government officials, healthcare professionals, and the general public. Organised around key dates such as International Women’s Day, International Day of the Girl Child, and National Girl Child Day, our campaigns engage a wide audience to foster a cultural shift towards valuing girls.
Capacity Building
Capacity Building
Training and capacity building are central to Girls Count’s approach. We organise workshops and consultations at the district, regional, and national levels to equip CSOs, government officials, medical practitioners, and other stakeholders with the knowledge and tools to address gender-biased sex selection. The training sessions are generally designed to familiarise different stakeholders with the social, cultural, and economic factors driving son preference and daughter unwantedness, recent trends in sex ratio at birth, and making clinics PC-PNDT Act complaints, etc., and empower them to effectively advocate for the prevention of GBSS within their communities. Girls Count has also been equipping CSOs and implementing authorities with the knowledge and skills to identify and report violations of the PC-PNDT Act.
Research
RESEARCH
Research is the foundation of all Girls Count initiatives, guiding our advocacy, training, and campaigns. We study trends, causes, and impacts of gender-biased sex selection and assess the effectiveness of the implementation of the PC-PNDT Act. Our research also explores broader gender equality issues, including the link between women’s economic empowerment and cultural practices. By generating and sharing this knowledge, Girls Count fosters informed discussions and supports data-driven decisions among policymakers and practitioners.
Advocacy
ADVOCACY
Girls Count actively advocates at both community and policy levels to address gender-biased sex selection and ensure the effective implementation of the PC-PNDT Act. We collaborate with policymakers, government bodies, and local communities to raise awareness about enhancing the value of girls. Our efforts focus on strengthening policies that promote gender equality and address the root causes of the declining child sex ratio. By fostering dialogue with different stakeholders specifically Parliamentarians, we create a platform for discussing measures, identifying gaps, and evaluating the effectiveness of different government policies, programs, and schemes.