International Daughters Day 2022: Why is it celebrated?

International Daughters Day is celebrated every year on the fourth Sunday of September to celebrate the girl child. With no particular origin for the day, the International Daughters’ Day encourages people to honour their daughters. This year it is being celebrated on September 25.

The day was conceptualised to fight against the stigma around having a girl child, thinking of daughters as a liability, and honouring women. To date, several issues like female infanticide, dowry, and foeticide are existing. In several countries, including India, people prefer the birth of a boy over a girl. Due to gender discrimination, girls are exposed to child marriages, poor education, sexual abuse, child domestic work, and teenage pregnancy, among others. The day is important in tackling such stigmas.

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According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), 129 million girls around the world are out of school, including 32 million in primary school age, 30 million in lower-secondary school age, and 67 million in upper-secondary school age. In countries affected by conflict, girls are more than twice as likely to be out of school than girls living in non-affected countries, it said.

How is this day celebrated?

Several organisations and governments pledge to fight against the gender gap and provide equal opportunities on International Daughters Day. Parents can make the day special for their daughters by treating them with respect and love. They must also provide daughters with equal opportunities.

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Parents, and guardians can prepare food, gifts, and arrange a day full of their favourite activities to celebrate their daughters on this day. The value of a daughter - a girl - can be increased by educating and empowering them.