Since the early 1990s, several states in India have introduced financial incentive programs to discourage son preference among parents and encourage investment in daughters' education and health. This study evaluates one such program in the state of Haryana, Apni Beti Apna Dhan (Our Daughter, Our Wealth). Since 1994, eligible parents in Haryana have been offered a financial incentive if they give birth to a daughter. The incentive consists of an immediate cash grant and a long-term savings bond redeemable on the daughter's 18th birthday provided she is unmarried, with additional bonuses for education. Although no specific program participation data are available, we estimate early intent-to-treat program effects on mothers (sex ratio among live children, fertility preferences) and children (mother's use of antenatal care, survival, nutritional status, immunization, schooling) using statewide household survey data on fertility and child health, and constructing proxies for household and individual program eligibility. The results based on this limited data imply that Apni Beti Apna Dhan had a positive effect on the sex ratio of living children, but inconclusive effects on mothers' preferences for having female children as well as total desired fertility.
How do economic shocks, in particular the current economic downturn, affect the wellbeing of children? What can be done to mitigate harm? This paper explores these questions, presents a framework for analysing the impact of shocks on children in different contexts and suggests initial policy implications.
Given experience from previous crises, all countries need to consider the impacts on children. Increases in child mortality and morbidity, child labour, child exploitation, violence against children and women and other forms of abuse, alongside declines in school attendance and the quality of education, nurture, care and emotional wellbeing, can all be traced to times of economic crisis.
National governments, broadly speaking, have four clusters of policy choices available to them through which to tackle rising levels of poverty and vulnerability: fiscal stimulus, social protection and investment, labour and aid policies. In order to address the specific nature of child vulnerabilities, it is critical that the various policy instruments that governments and donors select from among these broad categories are approached through a gender- and child-sensitive lens.
PRM is interested in innovative NGO proposals addressing the long-term needs of Afghan refugees as well as their host communities in Pakistan. As in past years, PRM generally supports activities in the areas of:
- vocational training and preparation for sustainable livelihoods
- basic and maternal/child healthcare
- primary education, teacher training, and provision of materials and equipment
- prevention of and response to gender-based violence (GBV)
- water and sanitation systems rehabilitation and repair; and
- supplemental feeding and nutritional programs.
The following activities are priority areas for PRM in FY09:
- Provide or improve access to basic and maternal/child healthcare.
- Provide access to primary education for boys and girls. Educational programs may include teacher training and rehabilitation of existing school facilities.
- Conduct vocational training in marketable skills and, as necessary, provide the required tool set for the profession.
Programs should seek to identify skills that would be marketable in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.
