Depending on the developmental activities ahead of organizations working for family welfare, the theme varies every year.
International Family Day is celebrated in order to raise consciousness about the importance of families and to address the issues that may adversely impact those efforts. Each year, the day is used as a forum to highlight the numerous issues that affect families around the world and what are the required measures that can be taken to overcome these and create unity. The entire society and a country are strengthened by creating an ecosystem of stable and happy families. In India, the very concept of a family is considered as sacred and also a pillar to ensure harmony and well being in the society.
International Family Day is marked by an emblem consisting of a solid green circle with a red picture containing a schematic drawing feature of a house and a centered face. This symbol signifies the healthy and stable atmosphere that a family should provide for people of all ages.
Why do we celebrate International Family Day?
The United Nations passed a resolution in 1993 to promote better living conditions and the social development of families around the world. The day was proclaimed the following year as the International Day of Families to account for the socio-economic structures that affect the stability of families in various parts of the world.
While the world deals with the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a tremendous opportunity to reconsider and change the way we foster greater equality through attempts to strengthen the economic and social conditions around the world. In India and most Asian countries, the belief is that happy and healthy family relationships are a lasting legacy of parents and elders to the next generation in their family. A fleeting glimpse of films in any Indian languages demonstrate how every narrative celebrates and honours the concept of happy families as something to nurture and preserve. Be it a poem, a theatre play or even a folk song, the importance of family is highlighted in India’s creative medium.
Themes across the years to mark International Family Day
Depending on the developmental activities ahead of organizations working for family welfare, the theme varies every year. The theme this year is Forming Families: Copenhagen & Beijing+25. The numerous trends in the last decade (2010-2020) are mentioned in descending order as follows:
2010- The Impact of Migration on Families Around the World
2011- Confronting Family Poverty and Social Exclusion
2012- Ensuring Work-Family Balance
2013- Advancing Social Integration and Inter-generational Solidarity
2014- Families Matter for the Achievement of Development Goals
2015- Gender Equality and Childrens rights in Contemporary Families