Montenegro is still in the inglorious top of countries with an imbalance between the sexes. The gender imbalance is also indicated by the national Health Development Strategy, according to which there is already a deficit of 3.000 women of reproductive age.
All these are the consequences of sex-selective abortions that are performed by abusing prenatal tests, experts warn.
Although there is a registry of pregnancy terminations maintained by the Institute of Public Health, there is no data on whether terminations are related to the sex of the baby.
"It is our nature and society, let a child be born, but let it be male"
Behind these verses hides a harsh reality. Thus, the number of boys born in Montenegro is higher than the average, so 100 boys are born for every 108 girls, Monstat data show.
Because of this imbalance, the Council of Europe requested an investigation into selective abortions in Montenegro in 2012.
However, even 11 years later, together with Albania, Azerbaijan and Armenia, we are counted among the countries with the most pronounced imbalance between the sexes.
Data from the Healthcare Development Strategy show that demographic consequences already exist.
In Montenegro, at the moment, there are 3.000 women of reproductive age missing, and the projections are that in less than two decades that number will increase to 8.000.
This year alone, 134 abortions were performed at the Clinical Center, but there are no data on whether the termination of pregnancy had anything to do with the sex of the child.
In all of Montenegro, over 600 abortions, the annual report of the Institute for Public Health shows, of which 361 in private health institutions, and 243 in state hospitals.
This registry also does not have data on whether pregnancy terminations are related to the sex of the baby.
How strong the Montenegrin patriarchy is still is vividly shown by the fact that many of our weddings have retained customs such as bringing into the house the so-called after the son, the youngest boy from the husband's family "if a son would not be born".
Although, on the other hand, we often hear the statement that there is no true love without a female child, why haven't we given many of our girls a chance to even see the world?
Isn't that the complete opposite of that of Choj, which we wave so easily and live less and less.
Bonus video:
