A group of people will gather Saturday in Surrey to walk for missing girls and talk about female feticide.

The aim of the event is to "save the girl child" and raise awareness about human rights issues involving women around the world.

In some countries and cultures, daughters are considered less desirable than sons. Female fetuses are sometimes aborted because of the "burden" they may bring to a family.

"I'm saying enough is enough - we need to stop what we're doing and save these girls," said Lucky Gill, an organizer of the second annual Global Walk for Missing Girls, on Sept. 15. "We, as humans, need to come out and support this cause."

Gill, a realtor who lives and works in Surrey, said the issue of female feticide is not discussed enough.

"That's the point of this event, to get people talking about it. It's not just one religion or one country or one culture, it's happening around the world."

Gill is supported in the cause by her niece, Navi Gill, 25.

Both women come from all-girl families, Lucky as the third of four daughters and Navi the eldest of three.

Born and raised in Canada, Navi struggled growing up a girl, even though she was considered "strong, outspoken and hardheaded" by those around her.

"I always had it in my mind that I wasn't enough for my parents, even though they never said it - it was other people saying it to them, having pity on them," Navi told the Now. "I would see the look on my mother's face when we'd go places, and other parents would have their sons and they'd be fawned over. Those people would look at my mom as though she was less than them."

Lucky was born and raised in India.

"I know what my mom had to go through as the mother of four girls, and I love her dearly," said Lucky, fighting tears. "I remember people feeling sorry for her that she never had a son, the shame that it brought.- When my younger sister was born, my parents gave her a boy's name and dressed her like a boy."

Saturday's event, which includes a conference and march starting at 1 p.m. at the Surrey campus of Kwantlen Polytechnic University, is backed by Sahaita Canada, a poverty-fighting group with roots in San Francisco.

"This is a movement, a big shift in thinking about this," said Lucky. "And men are becoming involved, teams of them who are putting up posters and flyers and telling people about this event. We are lucky to have such great support from men in our lives, including my husband, who says I need to go and shake things up."

Navi added: "I hope that in future generations, this isn't something we'll have to talk about."

Participants at Saturday's event are encouraged to wear pink in a show of solidarity on the issue.

Twitter @tomzillich

tzillich@thenownewspaper.com