The Wedding Gift

What’s the best wedding gift a parent can give?
BRAC, the world’s largest NGO, celebrates 16 Days of Activism - and one of its targets is raising awareness about domestic violence. A Bengali wedding is a joyous occasion, rich in culture and festivities - but what follows isn’t always happily ever after.
Seven out of ten women face violence at the hands of their husbands, at least once. What can make matters worse is not having one’s family’s support in such times. A common tradition in South Asian weddings is to see the ceremony as a “send off” for the bride, now considered part of a whole new family.
The biggest gift that a parent can give their daughters on their wedding day is thus, simply reassurance - knowing there’s always a home to come back to, a safe space to share one’s life.
Another goal of BRAC’s campaign is also redefining masculinity.
With media rampantly depicting toxic masculinity, or pointing fingers at it, it is refreshing to have positive aspirational portrayals of male figures - like a father lovingly looking out for his daughter.
A little compassion and support goes a long way in changing lives. Sometimes, it’s the best possible gift we can give to our loved ones.