Breakthrough India and Ogilvy speak to Fathers on Daughter's Day

While India moves towards becoming a superpower, it still sees its daughters deprived of basic rights like higher education. Inspite of the laws, policies and schemes available for the education of girls, one wonders why girls are not in schools?

Factors such as poverty, lack of inclination towards schooling, lack of safety on the way to schools are some of the leading reasons why girls are kept out of school.  Also as a young girl hits puberty she is seen as a liability and is therefore forced into early marriage for safety issues.

 
There is no value attached to the future of the girl and hence there are no opportunities given. According to a recent report India ranks first when it comes to the number of child brides in the world. In rural India, young girls are brought up to believe their life is about household chores and looking after their siblings.  Breakthrough works on creating a cultural shift in communities where daughters are often viewed as liabilities that need to be transferred from - the father to the husband, and then the son. Breakthrough has always believed in going beyond creating awareness.

It believes in providing a solution to a problem. So Breakthrough and Ogilvy joined hands to create a unique piece of communication for National Daughter's Day.  Right before Daughter’s Day, a few fathers in a small village in UP received a letter from a father of a girl. A father who defied society which stood firm in its belief that only sons could bring glory to the family. A father who allowed his daughter to shine. A father called Sukhbir Malik who is more than happy today to be known as Sakshi Malik's father.

Priyanka Kher (Head Media-Hub) Breakthrough India says, "Breakthrough works on addressing and changing cultural norms that perpetuate violence and discrimination against women and girls. One of the biggest reasons for underinvestment in girls compared to boys is that parents consider girls to be "paraya dhan". This film brings forth the fact that if girls are given the freedom to dream and aspire along with the support that they need to fulfil their aspirations, they have the same ability as boys to build a future for themselves and their families. They too like sons, can bring pride home. The team at Ogilvy has been remarkable as usual in bringing forth this narrative through a fantastic idea and execution.

According to Zenobia Pithawalla, Senior Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy, "Breakthrough India's constant efforts are towards empowering the lives of women and girls.  This time the cause dear to their heart was educating the girl child. When we were briefed we felt that the most important thing to do was to change a mindset.  To change the mindset of an entire nation, we decided to start with the father of the girl child.  And to influence every father, we decided to take the help of a father who believed in his daughter's ability to shine and supported her against all odds in her journey to achieve her dreams.

In this film, Sukhbir Malik, the father of Sakshi Malik urges all fathers to believe and invest in their girl child.  What better way to celebrate National Daughter's Day."