The European Parliamentary Assembly condemns the practice of prenatal sex selection as a phenomenon which finds its roots in a culture of gender inequality and reinforces a climate of violence against women, contrary to the values upheld by the Council of Europe. Recalling the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, the assembly believes the social and family pressure placed on women not to pursue their pregnancy because of the sex of the embryo or foetus is to be considered as a form of psychological violence and that the practice of forced abortion is to be criminalised. The assembly wishes to warn Council of Europe member states against the social consequences of prenatal sex selection, namely, population imbalances which are likely to create difficulties for men in finding spouses, lead to serious human rights violations such as forced prostitution, trafficking for the purposes of marriage or sexual exploitation, and contribute to a rise in criminality and social unrest.