A young girl stands behind a photo part of the exhibition placed in Tirana. Photo by UNFPA Albania
Based on statistics in Albania, 109 boys are born for 100 girls. The country is losing one girl for ten born boys. Based on this trend, only in one decade, Albania has lost around 21 thousand girls aged 0 to 19 years, creating a chain of gender imbalance that affects every specter of society.
The "Next Time We Hope it is a Girl" campaign aims to raise awareness and influence a public debate in families, believing that parents will be more responsible when making their decisions on gender-biased sex selection (or selective abortions).
“Next time we hope it is a girl” campaign includes an exhibition of photos of Albanian girls, those who live and those who are missing, who tend to give strong messages themselves or through their parents. This exhibition will go to several towns, especially in those areas where the phenomenon is still an issue, but also in those urban areas with the highest density of population in Albania.
Kristina Culaj is the author of the photographs part of the exhibition. Photo by UNFPA Albania
UNFPA aims to reach, inform and engage as many citizens and communities as possible, against harmful practices like gender-biased sex selection, as well as mobilize allies and support to change such social norms and fight gender-based violence in all its forms
The campaign will continue to be implemented throughout 2023.
For us, South Korea isn't just a distant land shrouded in mystery; it holds about 2-3 crucial lessons, especially when it comes to the deeply concerning issue of selective abortion based on gender. For decades, even longer than in Albania, South Korea has grappled with a troubling reality: Korean families often favored having boys over girls and, unfortunately, resorted to selective abortion as a means to achiev...
The "Next Time with a Girl" campaign culminated in an event held on November 22, 2023, marking a significant historic moment in the joint efforts of UNFPA, FiBank, and the Mother and Child Hospital Foundation to stop selective abortion in Albania, as a harmful practice of gender-based violence. What began as an impressive photo exhibition by Kristina Culaj turned into a movement embracing a critical phenome...
In the last decade, Albania has faced an alarming trend that threatens the very structure of gender equality - the selective abortion of female. This harmful practice, deeply rooted in cultural norms and misconceptions, has cast a shadow over the social fabric of the nation, disrupting the natural balance of genders and perpetuating damaging beliefs. The rise in the number of male births is a phenomenon that emerged...
Videolibrary of "Next time with girl campaign"
Letters from the girls!
In the last decade, Albania has faced an alarming trend that threatens the very structure of gender equality - the selective abortion of females. This harmful practice, deeply rooted in cultural norms and misconceptions, has cast a shadow over the social fabric of the nation, disrupting the natural balance of genders and perpetuating damaging beliefs. The rise in the number of male births is a phenomenon that emerged in the 1990s and took time to decipher. After numerous studies and close examination of the issue, it was understood that this increase also occurs due to selective abortion, made possible by advances in medicine and the ability to determine gender within the permitted abortion period.
Traditions, like everything else, need to be updated to serve people rather than hinder them. In 2023 and beyond, it's essential to break free from the shackles of such outdated and harmful practices. The benefits of preserving the lives of girls and women, their potential contributions, and the pursuit of gender equality far outweigh the continuation of this fruitless tradition. Our society can only progress wh...
The word chromosome may be something we articulated for the last time at age 9. In early puberty, we learn about the biological meaning of different species and become familiar with the XX and XY chromosomes that determine the distribution of genes in a fetus; we learn it as an interesting scientific fact. It remains just knowledge, as all species with genders, including humans, have no possibility of interfering wit...
I know you call me "son," even though I'm a daughter, with the reasoning "it's just a common expression." Why this common expression, Mom? Why isn't the common expression for boy’s "daughter"? I know I'm asked to bring water or food to my brother when he's resting, and vice versa never happens. In truth, I rarely get to rest. I'm told, "Oh well, you kno...
