Monthly Archives: March 2021

MALAKAND/ SWAT - Prime Minister Imran Khan said Friday that his government was working for the promotion of technical education and information technology to ensure sustainable economic growth which would ultimately help generate more jobs and empower countrys youth.

Addressing the inauguration function of new block at Malakand University, the Prime Minister said developed nations success was attributed to the priorities, they accorded to quality education, research and knowledge based economy and that is why his government was investing on human resource development for rapid economic growth and generate more employment opportunities.

He said NUML University was providing quality education to thousands of aspiring students and hoped it would soon become on a par with the Oxford University. Al Qadir University would be completed by this September and it would also become a hub of quality education and research works, he added.

The Prime Minister said the countrys wealth had been stolen for the past 30 years and its plunderers had either taken shelter in hospitals or fled away abroad to escape accountability. Happiness, he remarked, could only be achieved by following the right path and serving people with dedication and commitment.

The Prime Minister said there was no short cut in life for achieving goals and all objectives could be achieved through hard work and professionalism, adding aimless life destroyed potential of individuals.

Imran Khan said Pakistan possessed all the potential to become a developed country and great responsibility lied on the educational institutions by bringing intellectual revolution among students as per Quaid e Azam and Allama Iqbals vision.

He said when his government took over the countrys reigns it was facing massive loans burden and bank default and national kitty was almost empty. With the support of friendly countries and his governments strong economic policies, he said, the country was now heading towards a right direction of economic stability and prosperity.

The country, prime minister said had come out of difficult economic situation now and his government had returned a record Rs6.2 trillions interest loans during last two and a half years, whereas, PMLN could only repay Rs3 trillions during the same period. In comparison, his government had returned Rs35 trillion as repayment and loans interests whereas PMLN had paid back only Rs20 trillions, he informed.

The Prime Minister said the government was focusing on mega development projects to generate economic and financial resources. In addition to two mega projects of Bhasha and Mohmand dams to meet energy needs, Ravi City was also being constructed in Lahore to increase revenue and promote economic activities he added.

Priority, he said was being given to the construction industry keeping in view its enormous potential to generate employment opportunities, besides providing low-cost housing to poor, labourers, farmers and have-nots. Thirty industries would be directly benefited from the promotion of construction industry in Pakistan, he added.

Following construction of Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC), he said over 300,000 acres of land would be irrigated in DI Khan and adjoining districts that would bring green revolution in southern districts of the KP.

He said the area on right bank of the River Indus was the most suitable option for Olive plantation and a substantial revenue could be generated by promoting its cultivation, besides, saving hefty revenue being spent on edible oils import.

The Prime Minister also hinted to soon announce a new policy for the further promotion of agriculture sector in the country. Imran Khan said promotion of tourism in the country was the cornerstone of PTI governments policy and the domestic tourism had now taken off, especially in the KP.

He said Malaysia was earning about $20billion, Turkey $40billion, Switzerland from $60billion to $80 billion from tourism and Pakistans northern areas including Gilgit Baltistan and KP have more land than Switzerland where skill sports could be developed to generate substantial revenue for the national kitty

Malaysia, he said had achieved remarkable success by promoting cottage and others industries due to the prudent leadership of its Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohammad. Earlier, the Prime Minister was briefed about salient features of the newly inaugurated block in Malakand University.

Upon his arrival, the Prime Minister was received by Chief Minister KP Mahmood Khan and Vice Chancellor University of Malakand.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday visited state-of-the-art Swat Expressway where he inaugurated three newly constructed tunnels in it. Flanked by Federal Minister for Communication and Works Murad Saeed, the Prime Minister was welcomed by Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shah Farman, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and Director General Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) Maj Gen Kamal Azfar. DG FWO briefed the PM about salient features of the project and said that the 80 kilometers long expressway has seven interchanges, three tunnels measuring 1266 , 271 and 324 meters long respectively. Later the PM visited the sites of new constructed tunnels.

Swat expressway is a gift of PTI Government for people of KP especially for entire Malakand Division comprising districts Swat, Dir Lower, Dir Upper, Chitral Lower, Chitral Upper, Bajaur, Buner and Shangla

The expressway commenced from Karnal Sher interchange Swabi district on Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway and concluded at Chakdara in Dir Lower. Former Chief Minister KP Pervez Khattak had performed its ground breaking on August 25, 2016.

The ECNEC had recently approved acquisition of 10,000 kanal land for 81 kilometers long Swat Expressway Phase-II from Chakdara to Fatehpur Madayn to be constructed with an estimated cost of Rs 37 billion and Rs 20 billion for land cost.

The completion of first phase of Swat Expressway has opened entire Malakand Division for trade, business and tourism besides significantly reduced distance between Peshawar and Swat to nearly two hours and transportation cost. Before construction of the Swat Expressway, about four hours were consumed to reach Peshawar from Mingora Swat due to narrow Malakand Pass.

Kuwait FM meets PM

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan underscored the need for forging deeper economic, trade and investment cooperation between Pakistan and Kuwait. He expressed these views during a meeting with Foreign Minister of Kuwait, Dr Ahmed Nasser Al-Sabah here on Friday.

The Prime Minister appreciated the two countries working closely to ensure ease of travel and enhancing people-to-people linkages. The Kuwaiti Foreign Minister also delivered a letter from the Kuwaiti Prime Minister. The Prime Minister thanked the Kuwaiti leadership for the care afforded to Pakistani expatriates during the pandemic and urged further strengthening of this strong bond of friendship between the two countries.

PM, Attorney General discuss legal, constitutional matters

Attorney General of Pakistan Khalid Javed Khan called on Prime Minister Imran Khan here on Friday.

Legal and Constitutional matters were discussed in the meeting. Also Pir of Sial Sharif, Pir Qasim Sialvi called on Prime Minister Imran Khan here on Friday.

During the meeting, matters regarding the registration of Dargahs (shrines) and the promotion of Islamic teachings were discussed.

See more here:

PM says Rs35 trillion returned as repayment, loans interests - The Nation

Economic and finance ministers have, in the context of the discussion on the economic recovery, exchanged their views on fiscal policy response and the state of play of the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility. The European Commission presented its Communication to the Council One year since the outbreak of COVID-19: Fiscal policy response. The Commission's view is that fiscal policy needs to remain supportive in 2021 and 2022. The current forecasts also foresee the continued activation of the Stability and Growth Pact's general escape clause in 2022 and its deactivation in 2023. However, the European Commission's spring economic forecast will have to be released before final decisions.

Fiscal policy should maintain a supportive stance in 2022 as well. Despite the start of the vaccination which implies improvements, uncertainties remain high. In this context, it is important that the Member States work together and that a level playing field is ensured for all states. We are all in a difficult situation, and this requires exceptional circumstances and support. Of course, this does not mean that we forgot about medium- and long-term fiscal sustainability, said Minister ircelj.

Ministers had a lengthy discussion on the state of play and way forward on the taxation of the digital economy. In this respect, the European Union expects a consensus-based, global agreement at the OECD level in the middle of this year.

As regards the need for additional revenues following the COVID-19 pandemic, it is expected that the Commission will present a proposal for a digital levy in the first half of 2021 as a new own resource for the EU budget.

On Monday, 15 March, Minister ircelj attended the video conference of the Eurogroup.

Ministers discussed the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic had affected different sectors of the economy unevenly. Tourism, hospitality, and entertainment are certainly among more affected, and their recovery is expected to last longer. In the future, policies will support structural changes, including retraining of employees, which will be, to a large extent, linked to digitalisation. Key challenge for the Member States in the future will be phasing out emergency measures and introducing measures to support the recovery.

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European Union Ministers for Finance and Economy Discussed the Fiscal Policy Response to the COVID-19 Crisis | GOV.SI - Gov.si

On the same day a group of frustrated and unemployed Coloradans organized a message-writing campaign to the media and politicians about unpaid jobless benefits, a group of business leaders voiced their frustrations about a related topic: jobs.

Quality of life actually starts with having a job, Diane Schwenke, president and CEO of the Grand Junction Chamber, said during a news conference hosted by the Colorado Chamber. And we have 150,000 less jobs right now in Colorado than we had before (the pandemic). When it comes to things like being able to sustain our economy moving forward, it starts with businesses and it starts with jobs.

But on the other hand, getting hired at one of the thousands of openings statewide has been hit and miss. Angela Ashlock, who organized the message campaign, said shes just had her first interview in a year but didnt get a follow up.

Honestly, I dont know what Im going to return to because all these companies say theyre hiring, and theyre actually not and thats really frustrating, Ashlock said. I dont know what people are supposed to say and do because were all trying to get jobs and none of us are even getting interviewed.

There were 82,225 openings posted on the states official job board Friday, up from around 70,000 in January. Nearly half are location-neutral, which means one can work from home. Many listings are for companies based out of state and hunting for workers who live anywhere.

I dont doubt there are job openings in Colorado. But when I asked for feedback from readers back in January, I heard the numbers and jobs dont add up.

Its easy to boast (thousands of) jobs if you never remove old jobs, or list the same job 15 times, said one woman who didnt want to be named. (She has since found a job, which started with an Indeed.com post.)

Shes right. A new job at Oracle for a remote Content Designer, for example, was posted on the state job board 116 times on Friday.

So, who really is hiring out there? If youre an employer, share some hiring insight. And if youre a job seeker, share your job-hunting experience by emailing tamara@coloradosun.com.

Staffing agencies like Kelly Services have been around forever. I guess that means theyre working for people. And they literally are working for people because job-placement agencies place skilled workers with employers, who end up paying the agency. (Anyone have experience with these? Let me know.)

But if you dont have needed skills or even a resume, consider an organization like Focus Points Family Resource Center in Denver. Theyre the same nonprofit organization behind Comal, a restaurant/food incubator offering training in culinary arts and business management to immigrants and refugees.

Its Workforce program coordinates with employers to train and place immigrants and refugees and had its biggest placement year in 2020, placing 75% of candidates.

That included stories of a janitor getting an IT certificate and getting a job at a tech company to Venezualan asylum seekers returning to their career field in the labs at Colorado Serum Company. Whitney Wise, Focus Points education and economic opportunity workforce manager, credits the success stories to a personal approach and the right partners.

As a result of the strong partnerships we have made, which specifically fit our participants professional goals, weve been able to continue to place participants in meaningful roles despite economic challenges and higher unemployment rates throughout the pandemic, she said in an email. This is also the reason for our high retention rates we are serving in a customized manner that bridges the gap between job seeker and employer.

>> Details

The reinstatement on Feb. 1 of work-search activity as a requirement for unemployment benefits, doesnt mean one must apply for jobs each week. You can opt for job training, too. Participating in job-related skills development activities also counts, CDLE says. Heres more details on approved activities.

Some suggestions? Goodwill of Colorado, which considers its thrift stores a means to an end, has a vast number of job-training opportunities statewide. But options are different by region, said Bradd Hafer, a company spokesman.

In the Pikes Peak region, Goodwill partners with a company called Medcerts to offer IT training through an 18-week program. While classes are currently virtual, its usually an in-person experience so students must be nearby. At the end, students can leave with an A+ certification to help land a job as help-desk technician or in other entry-level technical roles (starting salaries are $38,000, according to Medcerts).

Classes and certifications are free for participants, Hafer added.

The Denver area has BankWork$, which provides free training in the financial services and who want a career in the banking industry. The Colorado AgrAbility program, a partnership with CSU Extension, provides resources for aging farmers and ranchers or people with disabilities who want to work on a farm. Theres a number of Goodwill programs listed on its services page, plus a link to all available jobs at the organization.

More training options:

Tech boot camps are another option for those who can afford it. CSU extension has partnered with New York company Fullstack Academy to provide intense training on cybersecurity and coding for 26-week sessions. Tuition is $11,490 and scholarships are available. >> Details

Pikes Peak Workforce Center offers online training via Upskill 2020, which is free and open to all Coloradans and counts towards the state job-training requirements. >> Details

Now that weve entered the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the job numbers are still not so great. Colorado Department of Labor and Employment data show more people collected unemployment last week than the prior week. The state said the number of people making a continued claim for the week of March 6 jumped 24.2% from the week before to 257,881.

What we did learn this week was CDLE overestimated and underestimated last years job and jobless numbers. It had to revise unemployment rates for nearly every month in 2020. But the biggest change was Decembers unemployment rate, which is now at 6.9%, from 8.4%.

This wont matter much if youre out of work since the change doesnt impact federal pandemic benefits. But it does make Colorado look better: Instead of having the nations 4th highest unemployment rate in December, we had the 16th highest.

>> STORY: Colorados pandemic job losses not as bad as previously announced

And then there was the audit.

The Colorado Office of the State Auditor released its 2020 report on state government finances and found CDLEs record keeping through July 1 so inadequate, that the auditor put a rare disclaimer on its labor department assessment. Essentially, the auditor couldnt figure out what happened to $1.4 billion in expenditures, or find data to back up which unemployed Coloradans were unpaid or overpaid.

>> READ: Colorado Office of the State Auditors 2020 report

>> STORY: Colorados unemployment system kept inadequate records on who was overpaid or not paid at all, auditor says

Helpful resources:

Colorado College student Emily Sulocha scanned past Whats Working columns and created a single app-like page at coloradounemployment.carrd.co with links to all sorts of resources. (Thanks Emily!) Find housing, legal services, mental health and, of course, jobs aid all in one place. Shes also taking suggestions. >> Check it out

Didnt get your $1,400 stimulus payment yet? Check with the IRS on the status. >> Get my payment

Coming soon: This year, families with children can receive tax credits of up to $3,600 per child as part of the Child Tax Credit expansion under the new American Rescue Plan. But there are exceptions. Get the details from The Suns event with Sen. Michael Bennet, who wants to make the credit permanent. >> Watch

CDLEs unemployment dashboard had an incredible number on Friday: Five seconds to reach a call center agent. Thats way down from the nearly 90 minutes on hold on March 1.

Jessica Hudgins Smith, press secretary for the Division of Unemployment Insurance, said the wait times have declined rapidly. Busiest days are Mondays. Theres also been a 20% drop in complaints about the call center since late February.

I told her I continue to hear from people who say they cant get through or are on hold forever. Smith said she wants to hear from those folks. If thats you, send me the details of the call and Ill forward it. Of course, if the complaint is that the agent just cant answer your question, send that too!

More critical though are the thousands of people still stuck with a fraud hold. Some havent been paid since last year.

Last week, Phil Spesshardt, acting director of the states Unemployment Insurance Division, said there were 4,000 accounts still under investigation even after IDme. The majority had an information mismatch. (Some readers have shared that a mis-entered routing number to a bank account, a different phone number on a credit report and other typos were to blame for their frustrating holds.)

Smith said that number is always in flux as people use IDme but some end up with a mismatch. According to the CDLE dashboard, 14,006 identities were verified on IDme in the past week and $8.1 million was paid. But CDLE doesnt share the number of Holds Released on its dashboard anymore. Its been replaced by Identities Verified.

As weve mentioned before, not all payment holds will be resolved through ID.me. Other issues may be holding up payment, so we felt Holds Released needed to be revised to better describe this population, Smith said. Staff work on these mismatches each day with some more complex issues than others with the complexity determining the time to resolve and the type of additional investigation that is required.

Some good news: The Double dip issue that denies federal benefits to folks who are now in year two of unemployment is getting close to being fixed. One reader shared a letter she received this week from CDLE letting her know it was resolved. Since shed already certified for several past weeks, the payments were sent immediately.

What struck me was that CDLE told her about it. I asked Smith if this is a new practice?

It depends on the size of the population impacted, she said.

If too many people are impacted, then communication goes out by mass email, dashboard updates, press releases or another town hall. But, she added, We continue to look for areas to segment claimants that allow us to more specifically target our communications.

The federal Paycheck Protection Program ends March 31. But with $100 billion still available, Congress may extend the deadline to May 31 and give the Small Business Administration an extra month to continue processing loans. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the PPP Extension Act of 2021 earlier this week and it now sits with the Senate.

The loans have helped millions of businesses through the pandemic, including The Colorado Sun. From Jan. 1 to As of March 14, 49,272 small businesses in Colorado were approved for $3.6 billion in loans. (Here are last years statistics for Colorado).

But just as Colorados auditor found that CDLEs failed to sufficiently track federal funds coming and going to unemployed workers, the Paycheck loan program suffered a similar issue. The U.S. Office of the SBA Inspector General said this week that 4,260 borrowers received a PPP loan twice. That cost the government $692 million.

Inspectors used tax IDs and business names and addresses to find the duplicates. The SBA blamed borrowers who applied for PPP loans from more than one lender and said a computer script used to detect duplicates stopped working.

While OIG caught the error about six weeks after the Paycheck program began, the SBA by Aug. 4 had identified 40,209 duplicate loan numbers, though not all loans were funded. It resolved 95% of those and prevented 685,529 more duplications.

The OIGs recommendation? Besides fixing the problem, SBA must not forgive the duplicate loan. Read the report here.

Did you get an SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan or other disaster loan last year? The due date for the first payments was extended for another year to 2022. >> Details

More small biz help:

Facebook has partnered with the Colorado Chamber of Commerce to share tips, tools and strategies on how to use tech to grow ones business. The free event, called Boost with Facebook, is March 23 at 10 a.m. Diana Doukas, Policy Manager at Facebook, offered a sneak peak with this tip: Best practices for Facebook ads are to test different photos, headlines, and other creative to see which has the highest performance, and delivers the most value. Also, check out Facebook Blueprint, which offers 90 free courses in online advertising and marketing. >> Details and RSVP

A 14-week fellowship for underrepresented female tech entrepreneurs of color? Thats the pitch of startup Visible Hands, which seeks aspiring founders for the full-time but all virtual program. The Boston startup is tackling the venture-capital funding gap full of overlooked women and people of color. You dont even need an idea or a tech background. The goal is to invest in the person, not the company. In exchange for a bit of equity, founders get dedicated company building, $25,000 and up to $175,000 in possible pre-seed investments (more in the FAQs). Want to take a shot? Applications are opening soon. >> Details

I have no idea how many people actually read to this line, but thanks to any loyal readers. This column is for you. Im always interested in hearing your stories about unemployment, job hunting or hiring and the economics of surviving in Colorado. Email me at tamara@coloradosun.com. I dont respond to all emails especially those addressed to someone else but if I can help share what I know, I try to. ~tamara

Original post:

What's Working: Colorado's job board has 82000 openings. But are they real? - The Colorado Sun

CityNews and OMNI News have launched a new investigative seriesBehind Closed Doorsdetailing the epidemic of family violence plaguing our communities. If you or someone you know is a victim of abuse, please visitour dedicated resource page.

WARNING: This story contains graphic content related to violence and abuse, and may be disturbing to some readers.

The names and identities of the victims in our stories have been changed to protect them.

Their stories and circumstances arent unique. Thousands more are being silenced as their trauma continues daily behind closed doors. These are just some of their first-hand accounts.

To watch this story in Punjabi, click here.

Veena* still remembers the day her youngest was born the second of two girls, a loving addition to the family. As was custom, she called family members abroad to inform them.

The proud mother expected congratulations. Instead, the relative on the other end of the line voiced disappointment.Another girl this time? Its okay. Maybe next time.

Its a sentiment Veena has come up against more than once, often neglected and chastised for not bearing sons.

In the society we live in, its thought that having a son is very important, in every home, says Veena.

Even after moving to Canada as an immigrant, Veena says she still has to deal with many of the cultural and societal pressures she thought shed left behind.

For a mother, all her children are equal, be it a boy or girl, said Veena.

The mother of a girl, no matter how smart she is, shes seen as less than the mother of a son. They think if a woman gives birth to a boy, shes done something out of this world, something extraordinary. These things still happen in our society.

Veena has learned to stand up to the taunts and emotional coercion that sometimes accompany her decision to not have more children, but says the judgement can come from even the most loving and well-meaning family members.

Even the people who I know have my best interests at heart say its essential to have a son in the family. Everyone tells me to try again, said Veena.

She knows other women in the same boat whose mental health has been negatively impacted by the emotional abuse of these outdated expectations.

Obviously, it stresses you out. When you have a baby, a lot changes youre going through physical changes. You have to take care of a new baby. On top of that, when you hear this stuff, it disturbs you at the mental level.

She recounts one particular incident where she was at a celebration for her friend and her new baby girl.

An elderly lady came to her and said, Didnt you get her gender checked during your pregnancy? She was implying that if shed gotten it checked, that she wouldve gotten an abortion.

In some communities, dangerous generational perceptions have been passed down males are seen as superior, tied to a familys resources and economic outcomes.

Its a phenomenon Dr. Kanwaljit Dhillon, therapist and social worker, has often seen play out in the South Asian clients she sees in particular, and it comes with its own history.

Thousands of years ago, when there was an agrarian-based economy, particularly in Punjab, boys were expected to engage in agriculture and farming growing up, says Dhillon.

All of the property would be in a mans name. So some girls grow up surrounded by that mentality, the patriarchal mindset.

The bias even creeped into her own home growing up, as one of three sisters.

Ive seen my own mother flail and cry in her extreme longing for a son. Shes 90 years old now, and still in her heart she feels the absence of a son, and talks about it, says Dhillon.

These outdated patriarchal beliefs arent unique to South Asians. The phenomenon takes a startling form in cultures around the world, due in part to colonialism, according to Dhillon.

Experts say that undue pressure can be oppressive for mothers and daughters alike, even going so far as taking away womens agency in bearing children.

More alarmingly, some are pressured to the point of aborting a female fetus, to avoid reprisals and emotional abuse.

Commonly referred to as sex-selective abortions, the practice of terminating a pregnancy based on the sex of the fetus, is measured through the ratios between numbers of male and females born over a period of time.

Last year, researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, projected an estimated 6.8 million fewer female births would be recorded across India in particular by 2030, due to a preference for sons.

Closer to home, a study led by St. Michaels Hospital in 2018 found sex ratios biased towards sons have been identified in several Asian countries, most notably in several provinces in China and northern states of India, but also in Vietnam and Pakistan.

In some communities, that ratio is levelling out: specifically in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives and Bangladesh.

One of the co-authors of the study was social epidemiologist and postdoctoral fellow at Sick Kids Hospital, Susitha Wanigarante. She worked alongside community partners to understand the preferential determinants driving the practice of sex selection in the GTA.

Taking a multi-method approach, the study focused particularly on immigrant and second generation South Asian women in Ontario and included focus groups with multi-generational families.

When asked why they believed male bias was such a prevalent part of the culture, Wanigaratne said many participants pointed to the classic heteronormative family structure and how it financially rewards men.

When sons marry, they often continue to live with their families with their parents there. The wife comes to live with the family and because the son stays with his parents, he often inherits land and other assets because he stays with his parents. Hes often considered old age security for them because he holds those resources. Whereas kind of the opposite happens for daughters. When she is married, she leaves the home.

That misconception persists even as Indo-Canadian women take on more jobs and support their families for longer.

Capitalist structures have a lot of disadvantages, but at least capitalism gave women some power to be able to navigate modern times as an equal to men. So unless we open up dialogue with women, particularly on an economic level, we cant address the question of why womens status is lower to mens in certain communities, says Dhillon.

Wanigaratnes team also found that in a small selection of women, there was a specific reproductive history that contributed to a slightly higher birth ratio in favour of males who were the second- or third-born in their families.

Its really when women have two previous daughters that theres pressure to try to have a son, she says.

Researchers say there are two ways cultural sex preference can be oppressive. Beyond the issue of sex-selective abortions, there is a significant difference in how mothers and daughters are treated.

I think what is also often lost in the conversation around sex-selective abortions is the oppression and pressure that the women feels to undergo that, Wanigaratne said.

The study was also co-authored by Manvir Bhangu, founder and director of Laadliyan, a non-profit that works to empower South Asian daughters and their families through engagement, education and awareness.

I always say that we dont know whats going on behind closed doors, said Bhangu.

We present ourselves in a way where were not showing our flaws. And I think thats where its really dangerous because a lot of our community members are, as a result, suffering from mental health, from other issues, from violence against women.

Bhangu also works with Punjabi Community Health Services, which runs the Better Families program aimed at providing family counselling. She says the program sees about 150 clients a year who identify as women. Of those, nearly 20 per cent reported facing direct or indirect pressure to bear sons.

There is coercion, there is violence, there is abuse, Bhangu said.

Definitely its not happening everywhere, but its prevalent. And its something that I think a lot of us who belong to that community and belong to that culture have experienced either directly or indirectly. Although it may not be physical violence, I think violence has many forms.

The preference for sons can be a common sentiment in some communities, creating undue pressure. The tradition is especially prevalent in parts of South and East Asia where the preference has been historically passed down by older generations, reinforced by traditional gender roles.

Elders always say a son is essential, said Veena.

Thats ingrained in them. They pass this down to their kids, and it spreads. Thats the message we convey to them. Its a long-term impact. If your parents and your household feel this way, thats going to stay in the kids minds for a long time.

Wanigaratne goes on to explain how the power dynamic between sons and daughters continues to shift with the idea of continuing a familial lineage and traditional gender roles in cultural celebrations like weddings and funerals. She says participants noted parents could face public humiliation for not being able to produce a son.

The mothers and the grandmothers that we spoke to describe that once they had sons, they were often treated much better in their families and also by the community, Wanigaratne said.

So they actually got, or felt like they received, more respect and that was important to them obviously. But then the opposite happened with having daughters. Within the family they may be treated poorly by both their families and their communities.

That poor treatment can come in many forms. Dhillon, who also runs the community A Group of Punjabi Women where these discussions come up frequently, says theres reason for alarm.

Abuse comes in verbal and non-verbal forms. Non-verbally, for example, if theres a son born in a home, the atmosphere of that home is completely different to one where a girl is born. Even though her birth wouldnt be looked down upon, it wouldnt be welcomed either, she says.

Preference towards having a son can push families to extremes, with some mothers pressured to abort their pregnancy at an early stage if they find out theyre having a girl.

In the GTA, thats an extreme measure taken rarely, but researchers say the women they spoke with faced immense pressures throughout their reproductive lives.

In the case of sex-selective abortion, what really came through in our discussions was that it was less about a personal choice and more really that these women often feel just really immense pressure to have a son, Wanigaratne said.

Wanigaratnes research found that a majority of participants who already had two daughters were either having a son as their next child or getting abortions to prevent a third pregnancy.

If they had an abortion [after their second child], three sons were born to every one daughter. But if a woman didnt have an abortion between the second and the third child, the sex ratio was normal, Wanigaratne said.

Some countries and cities around the world have taken action to put an end to sex-selective abortions. While it is not illegal in Canada, early last year a Saskatchewan MP introduced the Sex-Selective Abortion Act in the House of Commons.

Just last month, John Williamson, Conservative MP for New Brunswick South, also tabled a petition to call on parliament to outlaw sex selective abortions.

Wanigaratne says these legislative approaches have already been proven to fail.

In other places in the United States, as well as India, theyve tried, Wanigaratne said.

Theyve attempted sex-selective abortion bans and they found that ultimately, like if they do an analysis before and after a ban is put in place, they find that sex ratios are equally biased before and after a ban is put in place.

She also warned that legislative requirements for a medical practitioner to restrict access to reproductive services based on assumed motive would create more problems than it would solve.

From a practical perspective, that will incentivize practitioners to try to find out why women are seeking an abortion. Right now, women dont need to provide that information. I think it will cause further distrust between medical practitioners and women.

Wanigaratne also believes that a sole focus on legislation fails to address the nuances and root issues around male bias.

That approach doesnt come from a place of humility and understanding so I think thats where we need to start, Wanigaratne said.

A patriarchal approach to addressing problems that are specific to racialized communitiesthe solution is not going to be effective.

Though the issue of male bias has cultural ties, legislation around it is often passed with little community consultation.When we worked with community members, many of them didnt realize that those studies had been done, Wanigaratne said.

[They said] that the media and the Canadian community around them knew that that was happening, but it didnt make it into more culturally relevant media outlets that they would commonly listen to. So even the information was not getting to them, which is not something that I realized at the time.

The United Nations Sexual and Reproductive Health Agency recently profiled how South Korea was one of the only countries in the world to have faced high sex ratio imbalance, and then completely eliminate it.

Though abortion was illegal in the country, experts noted that it was a frequently used practice for decades, as fetal sex screening technologies were also introduced.

To address the common problem of son preference, which led to many more boys over girls born in the nation, womens rights groups pushed for reforms, including inheritance rights and job access.

The changes in policy pushed by feminist movements in Korea, also impacted culture.

Norms dont change in 50 or 100 years. Theres thousands of years of ingrained mindset, surroundings, social and economic conditions, family dynamics and culture that decide these things for us, said Dhillon.

The focus groups and data thats been collected in the GTA, has also been used to respond to the issue, creating a community advisory panel that as a first step, developed info posters for the community.

A lack of up-to-date information is what Bhangu believes allows outdated value systems like male bias to continue, without intended malice.

I think this is just their lack of knowledge and I think its just the way that they were brought up. They didnt know any better, says Bhangu

When it comes to creating long-standing change, Bhangu believes it starts with education and awareness. Its a key focus of her organization, Laadliyan, a term referring to beloved daughters in Punjabi.

Were working with grandmothers, were working with mothers, were working with little girls, high school girls, and even trying to engage fathers as much as we can, Bhangu said.

What Im doing with my organization is really getting the word out there that, especially in todays time and age or day and age, its not like it was back home.

Bhangu said the organization has already seen great progress.

I think as time has gone by, theres been more openness. There has been more ability and willingness from the community to learn and to engage. Bhangu said.

Veena has been able to see how powerful a change in mindset can be first hand. Growing up in India with only sisters, Veena said her parents ignored the cultural gender bias around them, raising them with pride.

Now having daughters of her own being raised far from that mindset, Veena said she does her best to pass down that same message, telling her girls how capable they are.

The ladies in the village used to say, you must pray to god for a brother. God listens to kids. But my parents taught me what I taught my girls.

I always tell my daughters that theyre no less than a son. They have to do things beyond any son would.

With files from Mahnoor Yawar and Loveen Gill

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