Question 1: Look into the case of the missing women in Asia and how that bias towards boys has created serious social imbalances

1. Over 100 million women in Asia are missing because of selective abortion, infanticide or neglect.
The greatest opportunity that too many Asian females are deprived of, is the right to life. Selective abortion and infanticide are widely practised in Asia with the objective of obtaining a son or sons.
Much noise is made about the case of China, where the one-child policy has biased birth rates in favor of males. Today in China, for every 100 girls born, there 111 boys born . According to a study by Mara Hvistendahl, the figure could be as high as 163 million. Please don’t think that poor and illiterate families are leading the way in gendercide. Sex selection starts with the urban, educated middle-class and filters down,» says Hvistendahl. Highly educated people have smaller families and therefore are more concerned about having a boy, without which a family might lose status.
What are the causes of this missing women problem? In Confucian and patriarchal cultures there is a preference for males who will inherit the family assets and name, who bring greater status to the family, and who will look after parents as they age. In reality, this only applies to urban dwellers, since most rural families can already have two children. And urban dwellers where both partners are an only child, are also already able to have two children. The Family Planning Bureau expects an additional 1.5-2.0 million births a year, raising the current annual new birth rate to about 18 million.
In other words, the impact of the reform is peanuts. And it is not hard to see why.

2. In 2019, the government funded and participated in programs that include the goal of eliminating or preventing child labor .

Social Cash Transfer Program

Government program to provide funds to families and increase school enrollment. Research could not determine whether activities were undertaken to implement the Social Cash Transfer Program during the reporting period.

EMPOWER: Increasing Economic and Social Empowerment for Adolescent Girls and Vulnerable Women in Zambia

$5 million, 4-year, USDOL-funded project implemented by Winrock International to address child labor. To date, more than 1,400 adolescent girls have participated in training courses on rural entrepreneurship and leadership life skills. Additional information is available on the USDOL website.

Achieving Reduction of Child Labor in Support of Education

Japan Tobacco International and Winrock International joint-initiative that seeks to combat the worst forms of child labor in tobacco-growing communities in Brazil, Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia. In 2019, the project targeted 30 district communities in Nkeyema District in western Zambia, emphasizing community empowerment through Child Labor Committees.

USAID-Funded Projects

USAID-funded projects to increase protections for vulnerable children. Includes DREAMS, a U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief/USAID project, which supports vulnerable adolescent girls and young women through access to health services, including support for HIV prevention and treatment, family planning, and care for survivors of gender-based violence, as well as economic empowerment activities to promote access to a basic income. Also includes, Service Efficiency and Effectiveness for Vulnerable Children and Adolescents , a USAID and UNICEF joint initiative to improve protection services for children and adolescents, including children vulnerable to child labor. During the reporting period, SCEEVA programs worked to develop a standardized, government-led case management system.


National Child Labor Policy

Outlines objectives for prevention and elimination of child labor and designates responsible agencies to address child labor issues. In 2019, the government held several meetings to revise the National Action Plan for the Elimination of Child Labor under the National Child Labor Policy.

7th National Development Plan

Outlines Zambia's strategy to promote inclusive economic growth and national development to support Zambia's long-term goal of becoming a «middle income» country, including through the elimination of child labor, by 2030.

National Youth Policy

Outlines Zambia's strategies to ensure that social programs benefit vulnerable youth, including victims of commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Research could not determine whether activities were undertaken to implement the National Youth Policy during the reporting period.

$806 million framework that builds upon the previous UNDAF but with a stronger emphasis on partnership. Aims to prevent the worst forms of child labor and protect children. Research could not determine whether activities were undertaken to implement the Sustainable Development Partnership Framework during the reporting period.
The government has other polices that may have addressed child labor issues or had an impact on child labor.
The government drafted the National Action Plan for the Elimination of Child Labor , which will guide the implementation of the National Child Labor Policy.