Dowry system’s bloody legacy
Outlawed practice claims the lives of 8,000 women in India every year
MUMBAI // It is supposedly illegal, but a spate of deaths linked to India’s dowry system not only show that the practice remains widespread but also that it shows little sign of abating.
Dowry is paid in the form of cash and goods, such as jewellery, household appliances and cars, to the bridegroom or his parents by the bride’s family. It has been illegal in India since 1961 but is still commonplace – with tragic consequences. Women have committed suicide because they could not face harassment over payment. Others have been murdered by their husband or in-laws for not meeting dowry demands.
About 8,000 such deaths are recorded each year in India, according to the national crimes statistics bureau. Two women in their 20s committed suicide over dowry harassment on the same day last month in Gurgaon, a modern satellite city of Delhi, where the number of dowry deaths rose from 12 in 2015 to 20 last year, according to the Times of India, an increase of 66.7 per cent.
In a case reported last month in Hyderabad, a 21- year- old woman died after her husband and parents-in-law poured kerosene on her and set fire to her because of a dispute over dowry. On Monday, a software engineer in Hyderabad was reported to have hanged herself after being harassed for dowry payments by her husband, although her family had given him land and substantial amounts of gold and cash at the time of marriage.
“Although it is illegal, the dowry system is still prevalent,” said Zeba Khair, a lawyer based in New Delhi who specialises in women’s issues. “I wouldn’t say dowry deaths have gone down in terms of numbers.”
A school textbook caused up- roar in the state of Maharashtra last week because it stated that it was more difficult for “ugly and handicapped” girls to get married and the bridegroom’s family would demand higher dowries in such cases.
Such an assertion not only enforces a deep- seated mindset but illustrates why it needs to be eradicated, said activists.
“It puts women in a very weak bargaining position,” said author Rochelle Potkar, who writes about social issues. “Once you pay a man and his family for getting married to him, you may always be expected to pay more money. Since you don’t have money, you have to take it from your old and ageing parents, putting further pressure on them. It’s a never-ending cycle of unnecessary debt.”
Ms Khair said Indians who adhere to the dowry system tended to be from very conservative backgrounds and were often less well educated, although the practice occurs in all segments of society despite the passing of more legislation in the past decade, including a law against domestic violence in 2005.
Subramanya Sirish Tamvada, the dean of IFIM Law College in Bangalore, likened the practice of dowry to “a plague”.
“It affects each and every part of our society, whether you’re rich or poor,” he said. “The biggest problem is that neither of the parties speak about it.” Last April, 25- year- old Himanshi Kashyap, the wife of an MP’s son, was found shot dead in her bathroom. Her parents said she was a victim of dowry death. Her husband and parents- in- law were arrested on charges of harassment and with her death.
Under Indian law, those who give and those who receive dowries are liable to fines and imprisonment.
Dowries have traditionally been used in Indian marriages because the bride’s family is expected to compensate the bridegroom and his family for the financial support the groom will have to provide throughout his wife’s life.
Ms Khair said education was critical to ending the dowry system and the violence that results from it.
The police should receive more training in how to deal with such situations, she said. “It’s a social problem, so ultimately it’s up to us to reform.”
Another potential solution is to speed up the financial empowerment of women in India.
“It should be a compulsory matter of self-respect that they earn their own living, not a choice,” said Ms Potkar. “Only then will we be able to overthrow this old and detrimental custom.”