The International Day of Families is held on May 15 annually. First held in 1994, the International Family Day helps raise awareness of the many issues surrounding and affecting families, including healthcare, education, violence, discrimination and gender inequality.
This COVID- 19 outbreak would have been harder without constant support from our dear ones. Whether big or small, complicated or easy, biological or chosen, close or far away, many of our life's most formative years were spent growing up with our families, and they should be celebrated! And we do exactly that today.
HISTORY
In a resolution in 1993, the General Assembly decided that May 15 of each year should be the International Day of Families. This day provides an opportunity to raise awareness of family issues and to increase knowledge about the social, economic, and demographic processes that affect families.
In 1994, in response to the changing economic and social structures that affect the stability and structure of family units in different parts of the world, the United Nations officially declared International Day of Families. International Family Day celebrates the fact that families form the core of any society.
SYMBOL
The International Family Day is represented by the symbol of a heart that stretches upward and shapes a house's roof. The heart is then graved into a green circle to mean the family is the centre of society and provides a stable abode to support people of all ages.
The heart is usually drawn in red and can either be used on its own or placed in a green circle.
Over the years, different countries have been inspired by the holiday to create their own symbols for family day and to support community-based awareness events that draw attention to family issues in modern times.
SIGNIFICANCE
This day is celebrated with a dual objective in mind-to raise awareness of the importance of families and the different factors that impact this unit negatively. It recognises the strength and abilities of what, in many parts of the world, is considered the most fundamental unit of society.
The day is used each year to highlight the issues that plague families and the appropriate actions that individuals, societies, and governments can take to resolve those issues. The day also serves to show how a strengthened family unit ultimately helps to strengthen societies and nations.
This holiday is one which is celebrated or recognised in different ways around the world. Some societies choose to honour the day by holding public exhibits or discussions to explore ideas which might be directly related to the central theme of that year.
As UN headquarters in New York continues to be closed for the month of May due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual International Family Day observance will be conducted online with discussion on different issues.
THEME
Depending on the growth activities ahead of organisations working for family welfare, the theme varies every year.
2020 International Day of Families theme is "Families in Development: Copenhagen & Beijing + 25."
The 25th anniversary of the Copenhagen Declaration and Beijing Forum for Action this year comes at the time of one of the world's most daunting health and social crises. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic highlights the importance of engaging in social programs to protect the vulnerable. The families are most vulnerable to the crisis, protect their members from disruption, look after school kids and simultaneously continue to be responsible for their jobs.
