For most parents, daughters are a blessing. But in many parts of south and east Asia, where there exists a strong, culturally-rooted preference for sons, daughters are often unwanted and often selectively aborted prior to birth simply on account of their sex.

In many Asian cultures, sons are strongly valued to carry on the family name, inherit property, or to provide parents with care and financial support in sickness and old age. Daughters, on the other hand, are often seen as a burden due to the practice of dowry in places like India, and due to the traditional custom that daughters leave their birth parents behind after marriage and go on to live with and care for their husband’s parents.