Dowry: Threat to Society

                                     

The Dowry system is a pre-condition for marriage from the groom’s family to demand dowry in cash or kind from the bride’s family. After marriage, some families demand more dowry, and when it is not fulfilled- either because of the inability of the bride’s family or the denial of the bride herself- the groom and his family abuse and kill the bride. In one of the cases reported in Bengaluru in January 2020, a few weeks after marriage, a husband demanded cash despite receiving 1kg gold in dowry as per his demands. When the extra demand was denied, he burnt his wife. In some cases, to escape the punishment by law, the husband and his family do not kill the woman directly but harass her mentally and physically forcing her to commit suicide.  A similar case was reported in Kerala last year when a 27-year-old woman was starved to death by her in-laws because their demand of two lakhs in dowry was not met.

We are in 2020. Dowry system was abolished in 1961 in India. The reason for the prevalence of this custom is the patriarchal society that values men over women. The stronghold of the gender inequality in Indian society makes a bride’s family feel obliged to meet the dowry demands of the man who has ‘agreed’ to take care of the daughter. The second major reason is that the dowry system is too deeply rooted in the Indian culture that it is seen as normal and unchangeable. The third and most important reason is the dominance of the institution of marriage. A woman’s marriage is of paramount importance in Indian families. If a woman’s marriage requires dowry in return for her secured married life which is a challenge in the world that is unsafe and discriminatory for women, it is never seen as a crime.

Break the Silence, Stand for Dignity  

Kill Dowry System Not Women  

#Say No to Dowry