"The Role of Families in the Modern World”, a thematic book exhibition timed to the International Day of Families, is open in the official documents department (room 207), from May 8 to June 13.

the International Day of Families is observed annually, on May 15. The Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 with resolution А/RES/47/237.

The United Nations expressed its deep concern that such an important unit of society as the family in many countries is steadily weakening and losing its social orientation. The resolution noted that the number of divorces had sharply increased worldwide, and the percentage of people who had reached the age of thirty and never married had increased. The Assembly stressed that the institution of the family was under threat and this negatively affected the progress of not only individual countries, but the whole world.

Despite the fact that, due to global trends and demographic changes over the past decades, the family structure in all countries of the world has undergone significant changes, the United Nations still considers the family to be the basic unit of society. The Day of Families provides an opportunity to emphasize the importance of family-related issues and to expand knowledge about the social, economic and demographic processes affecting the situation of families.

Every year, for the International Day of Families, an actual topic is selected, which is discussed at conferences around the world. To this day, programs are being developed to support and develop the institution of the family. Within the framework of seminars and symposiums, the issues of strengthening social cohesion of society, human rights, and the problem of poor families are being considered. Theme of the Day in 2018 is "Families and inclusive societies".

The family, as the main element of society, was and remains a keeper of human values, culture and historical continuity of generations, a factor of stability and development. Thanks to the family, the state is getting stronger and developing, and the well-being of the nation is growing. The life and socialization of a person begins in the family. The family is a basis of any civilized society, being among the main social institutions. The family is a source of love, respect, solidarity and attachment, and an important tool for the upbringing of the younger generation.

At all times, the development of the country was judged by the status of the family in society and by the attitude of the government to it.

According to the population census, about 2.7 million families live in the Republic of Belarus, of which 1.2 million, or almost 45 percent, have children under the age of 18.

Social protection of the family, improvement of its position in society, protection of motherhood and childhood are among the central priorities of the state social policy of our country. In Belarus, a legislative framework has been formed to implement the state policy on children, and a network of social services for families and children has been established. To further strengthen the family status in Belarus, the State Program "People's Health and Demographic Security of the Republic of Belarus" for 2016–2020 was adopted, within the framework of which the subprogram "Family and Childhood" was developed.

The exhibition present s more than 100 documents: books, brochures, periodicals, and the UN mimeographed documents. The most part of the exposition are documents of the international organizations (UN, UNESCO, the European Union, the Council of Europe( in Russian and English.

The exposition includes the following thematic sections:

the institute of family in the era of social change;
legal framework for the regulation of family relations;
women in families: marriage, motherhood and career;
health and families;
families and violence;
family psychology, families and marriage;
families in modern Belarusian society.

The exhibition is designed for specialist working in the field of social sciences, university students, post-graduates and teachers of sociological, demographic and legal disciplines, and also to everyone who is interested in the issues of families and marriage.

The opening hours of the exhibition corresponds to the library’s opening hours.

Entrance to the exhibition is available by the library ticket or ticket of the library's social and cultural center.

For more info: (+375 17) 293 27 34.

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