Representative image of a girl child, Wikimedia Commons
International Daughters’ Day is marked every year on the fourth Sunday of September. This year, the day falls on 25 September.
International Daughters’ Day encourages the parents to honour and appreciate their daughters. In many regions of India, the boy child is still said to be preferred over a girl child. It is not uncommon for the parents in some regions to reportedly get sad when the child born is a girl.
The day intends to remove the stigma associated with the girl child, and it promotes equality between boys and girls. According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), India is the only large country where the death rate of girls is more than boys.
History:
International Daughters’ Day doesn’t have an actual origin. But in many countries including India, girls have always been seen as a liability, and cruel acts like female foeticide and infanticide are not uncommon in these nations. Hence, a day has been dedicated to the girls so that people can become aware about the crimes against them and promote equality.
Significance:
India won’t be able to fully develop until and unless both boys and girls reach their full potential. Gender inequality leads to unequal opportunities. It impacts the lives of both genders, and as per UNICEF, girls are the one who are most disadvantaged.
Adolescence is experienced differently by boys and girls in India.
Girls often face limitations on their ability to move freely and decisions regarding work, relationships, education and marriage. In comparison to girls, boys receive a greater freedom.
Due to the gender discrimination and social norms, girls get exposed to the possibility of child marriage, poor education and health, exploitation, sexual abuse, child domestic work, teenage pregnancy and violence. These things will not change until girls are valued more.
The value of girls can be enhanced by investing in them and empowering them with education, skills, sports, etc. UNICEF India’s 2018-2022 Country Programme has been created to solve the problem of deprivations that children from India face, including gender-based discrimination. The initiative includes programmes related to health, education, nutrition, child protection, social policy, and disaster risk reduction.
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