NATIONAL Daughters’ Day is celebrated on September 30, and this day was first celebrated internationally on October 11, 2012, to eliminate gender inequality around the world. The member states of the United Nations observe this day with great importance every year. However, different countries celebrate the day on different days. In Bangladesh, the day is celebrated on September 30. The aim of observance is to protect the rights of daughters to education, food and nutrition, legal aid and justice, protection and to prevent violence against women and child marriage.

Gender discrimination has existed across history. In this case, religious and social prejudices are a contributing factor. Begum Rokeya Shakhawat Hossain, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Raja Rammohun Roy, and others have raised their voices against such patriarchal bias and advocated for women’s rights in society. Following in their footsteps, we should also take some responsibility, because without our daughters, we will never be able to achieve the goal of sustainable development.

The contribution of men and women to the creation of any welfare society and state is undeniable. Not only are men involved in all creation, but women can also conquer everything if given a chance. They can enlighten society as nightingales like men, which is why all children should be given equal opportunity.

Child marriage is a major obstacle to women’s empowerment, and our society considers girls to be a burden. Parents often do not want to spend money on their daughters’ education. The parents rush to arrange their daughters marriage, so the burden is off their shoulders. Times, however, have changed; daughters are no longer a burden. Rather, daughters are the best investment and the beacon of society.

Surprisingly, regardless of whether we are educated, uneducated, rich, middle class, or poor in our society or even in our own families, we see discriminatory attitudes towards girls. As a result, girls are the first victims of poverty. The way girls are raised from infancy, they do not learn to protest against such biases. Women and girls do not see their discriminatory treatment as unjust, but such treatments are taught to be accepted instinctively, which in turn widens the path of oppression and violence against women. Although the present government has contributed to eliminating gender inequality and empowering women, the rate of violence has not decreased. Child marriage, sexual harassment, and dowry have taken an endemic turn. Victim women say, ‘We need to break the culture of silence. It is possible to deal with all these problems through united efforts. Only then will there be sustainable development in society.”

In today’s modern and educated society, we say, ‘Whether a child is a boy or a girl does not matter; what matters is humanity.’ Even though the educated man knows the scientific fact that a woman has no role in having a daughter, he mentally imposes this responsibility on women in many cases. As a result, thousands of women in our country suffer mental and physical torture for giving birth to daughters without any injustice.

The government of Bangladesh does not have any exact statistics on how many female fetuses are being killed in Bangladesh. However, a 2014 survey by the Gutmaker Institute, a US-based organisation, found that 1.194 million self-motivated abortions occur in Bangladesh annually. While there is not adequate information about the reasons behind these abortions, it is perceived that, in some cases, the gender of the fetus influences the decision. Since son preference is common, when the gender of the fetus is determined, it is aborted through a menstrual regulation procedure.

A similar situation prevails in India. Son preference is a long-standing culture in Indian society. Social beliefs are that the son will make the family financially prosperous, take care of the parents in old age, and carry the family identity. On the other hand, the girls are married off to a different family and move to their in-laws, and the parents have to bear the burden of a huge dowry during the girls marriage. According to research by the United Nations Population Fund published in 2020, about 46 million girls have gone missing in India in the last 50 years. Every year, 4.6 million female fetuses are killed in abortions in the country, and the infant mortality rate is very high due to the deliberate neglect of female children after birth.

Today, 15 per cent of the world’s population are girls and in Bangladesh, there are 16 million girls, which is 10 per cent of the total population. These girls are victims of insecurity, violence, and different forms of discrimination at home and in public places. According to UNICEF, Bangladesh is one of the top countries for child marriage. In Bangladesh, 18 per cent of girls get married at the age of 15, and 52 per cent of girls get married by the age of 18.

A hunger-poverty-free country can never be built by discriminating against girls and women. In this reality, the development of education for women and girls is very important. In fact, education is the key to women’s empowerment. It helps prevent child marriage and reduce child mortality. The government has taken women-friendly initiatives in recent years to encourage girls to participate in education. We have to ensure equal opportunities and participation for them in all fields, including nutrition, health, and education. The government must ensure that women have equal opportunity so they can thrive and utilise their untapped potential. Remember, today’s girls are the future stars of our state and society.

Md Zillur Rahaman is a banker and columnist.