Empowering Daughters: International Daughters' Day

On 25 September International Daughters' Day breaks chains, fostering equality. In India and beyond, it challenges bias, promoting girls' potential. With UNICEF's support, change begins, empowering girls through education, skills, and dreams.

Happy Daughters' Day; Source: dnaindia

On the fourth Sunday of September, a poignant celebration takes centre stage: International Daughters' Day, a reminder of the power and potential that every girl holds. This year, on 25 September families around the world come together to honour and uplift their daughters, breaking down barriers and fostering equality.

In a world where gender biases still cast shadows, this day stands as a beacon of change. In certain corners of India, the birth of a girl is met with sighs of disappointment, highlighting the urgent need to shatter the stigma that surrounds the girl child. The mission is clear: promote harmony between boys and girls, a sentiment that finds resonance with the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF). Startlingly, India stands as the lone large country where girls' mortality rates surpass that of boys. Rooted in the absence of equity and the dark shadow of gender-based violence, International Daughters' Day emerges as a response to the plight that countless girls face. While it lacks a specific origin, the day crystallises around a global sentiment: that girls deserve a chance to thrive, unburdened by discrimination and bias.

The significance of this day reverberates through India's very core. True development remains elusive until both boys and girls can chase their dreams without restraint. Gender inequality mars opportunities and hampers progress, particularly impacting girls, who often bear the brunt of disadvantage. Adolescence, a pivotal phase of growth, carries disparate experiences for boys and girls, with the latter facing constraints on mobility and decisions about education, work, relationships, and marriage.

Tragically, social norms and discrimination expose girls to a web of challenges, from child marriage to exploitation, poor education, violence, and beyond. However, change lies in empowering girls through education, skills, and sports. UNICEF's 2018-2022 Country Programme for India is a comprehensive initiative designed to eradicate the deprivations faced by the nation's children, including gender-based discrimination. This encompassing program delves into health, education, nutrition, child protection, social policy, and disaster risk reduction, painting a picture of a more equitable future.

International Daughters' Day, beyond the festivities, encapsulates a global rallying cry for the daughters of today and tomorrow. It echoes the promise that each girl deserves respect, opportunities, and a life unhindered by discrimination.