DOWRY

The cancer of society

Contents Introduction Purposes Light on issueActs Solutions Conclusion

INTRODUCTION Dowry or Dahej  is the payment in cash or/and

kind by the bride's family to the bridegroom' s family along with the giving away of the bride .

Dowry originated in upper caste families as the wedding gift to the bride from her family.  The dowry was later given to help with marriage expenses and became a form of insurance in the case that her in-laws mistreated her.

The payment of a dowry has been prohibited under The 1961 Dowry Prohibition Act in Indian civil law.

HISTORY• Dowry system was generally unknown in early

societies and also with ancient Hindus.

• Restricted to rich and royal families.

• Later It had been observed that women were merely vehicles for the transfer of property from one family to another, and had no right over property transferred in the name of dowry .

FIVE PURPOSES OF THE DOWRY Provides an occasion for

people to boost their self esteem through feasts and displays of material objects.

Makes alliances with the families of similar status.

Helps prevent the breakup of family property.

Gets a better match for daughters.

Furnishes daughters with some kind of social and economic security.

DOWRY IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM OF SOCIETY AT

PRESENT

Though India has host of problems to tackle today, yet the biggest which the country is facing is dowry. Dowry, in fact, has destroyed our economy. Today we fix dowry rates of boys of deferent categories – doctors, engineers, lecturers, business men, executives, administrative services, etc. Merit of the girl has nothing to do in the settlement of the marriage proposal.

• Dowry has been approved as integral component of marriage as an institution. However its modes of expressions vary from people to people, depending their educational, occupational, cultural,regional and ethnic backgrounds.

• Dowry in cash and gold (ornaments) occupy either first or second priority for all sections of society.vehicles as a third priority while the parents would go for landed property or a residential house instead.

• Higher education and occupation of higher positions in society have not been able to bring change in the attitude towards dowry.

BRIDE BURNING

Bride-burning is a form of domestic violence . A category of dowry death, bride-burning occurs when a young woman is murdered by her husband or his family for her family's refusal to pay additional dowry.

Many of the victims are burnt to death—they are doused in kerosene and set to light. Routinely the in-laws claim that what happened was simply an accident. The kerosene stoves used in many poorer households are dangerous. When evidence of foul play is too obvious to ignore, the story changes to suicide—the wife, it is said, could not adjust to new family life and subsequently killed herself.

Dowry is a historical and cultural issue accounting for around 600-750 deaths per year in India alone. In 1995 Time Magazine reported that dowry deaths in India increased from around 400 a year in the early 1980s to around 5,800 a year by the middle of the 1990s. A year later CNN ran a story saying that every year police receive more than 2,500 reports of bride burning.

THE 1961 DOWRY PROHIBITION ACT

Introduced and taken up by then Indian law minister Ashoke Kumar Sen, this historical act prohibits the request, payment or acceptance of a dowry, "as consideration for the marriage". where "dowry" is defined as a gift demanded or given as a precondition for a marriage.

Gifts given without a precondition are not considered dowry, and are legal.

Asking or giving of dowry can be punished by an imprisonment of up to six months, or a fine of up to Rs. 15000 or the amount of dowry whichever is higher and imprisonment up to 5 years.

It replaced several pieces of anti-dowry legislation that had been enacted by various Indian states.

CASE STUDYMay 27: Young housewife burnt alive for dowry

LUCKNOW: For nineteen-year-old Rinki dreams of a happily married life was never to be. Barely a month after her marriage, she was allegedly tortured and then set ablaze by her in-laws for dowry in Indiranagar in the small hours of Saturday. Daughter of late Gyan Chand, a fish contractor who expired a year ago, Rinki was married to Anil on April 19... However, soon after the marriage, Balakram [Anil’s father] demanded a colour television instead of a black and white one and a motorcycle as well. When Rinki’s mother failed to meet their demands, the teenage housewife was subjected to severe physical torture, allegedly by her husband and mother-in-law... On Saturday morning she [her mother] was informed that Rinki was charred to death when a kerosene lamp accidentally fell on her and her clothes caught fire. However, at first sight it appeared that the victim was first attacked as her teeth were found broken. Injuries were also apparent on her wrist and chest.

SOLUTIONSEducate the members of your family with the pro-visions of law – that demanding and accepting or Giving dowry is an offence

Educate the members of your family and your neighbours to respect a woman’s rights and privileges

Provide support and shelter to the lady in distress. If you cannot, please contact the Women organisations who can provide support in such cases

Encourage women folk to raise their voice about their rights and to fight against dowry system 

THANK YOU