Breakthrough India, Ogilvy urges all fathers to believe and invest in their girl child

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 India, an organisation working for women, and Ogilvy joined hands to create a unique piece of communication for National Daughter's Day. Right before Daughter’s Day celebrated on September 22, a few fathers in a small village in UP received a letter from a father of a girl. A father who defied society that 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.

India still sees its daughters deprived of basic rights like higher education.  In spite 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.

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 fulfill 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."

The Film:

Credits:

Client: Breakthrough India

Agency: Ogilvy, Mumbai

Sr. Executive Creative Director:  Zenobia Pithawalla

Sr. Creative Director: Varsha Desai

Copywriters: Alesha Pimpale, Varsha Desai

Production House: Little Lamb Films

Director: Bauddhayan Mukherji

Producer: Avishek Ghosh

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