Dowry system in India |stop dowry in India

 Introduction

• India is a land of cultures and traditions. We have been following what our ancestors have always practiced. One such tradition is dowry.

• Dowry is a demand which is made by the groom’s family from the bride’s family at the time of an Indian wedding. The demand may be for cash, car, jewellery etc. Dowry has although been declared illegal under the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, yet even in the 21st Century, people do not refrain from giving and taking dowry. Surprisingly even educated and high-class working women pay dowries in our country.

• The National Crime Bureau records have been collecting data related to dowry cases since 1988 only and even then the number of cases registered so far is 69382. According to an article published in Hindustan Times on 05 August 2011 an average of 9 cases of dowry are registered every day. About 10050 cases were registered in 2014.

Recent Issues

• There are cases where women are tormented and harassed for not bringing enough dowry and many of them commit suicide because of the pressure.

• An average of 21 dowry deaths take place in India every day and around 8000 deaths every year under section 304B Indian Penal Code (Dowry death). Around 24771 deaths were reported in the last three years.

• We come across cases where women are given body injuries or are burnt alive because of not fulfilling the dowry demands. The biggest reason for domestic violence being practiced in India is also the dowry system. In fact, with the increase in the number of such cases, the term ‘dowry abuse’ has been coined for dowry related domestic violence.
  
  
  

• Since dowry is a financial burden on the girl’s family, people abandon their girl child  because of this evil! The birth of a girl child is still considered a burden in our country and dowry system is to be thanked!

• Moreover, some fathers are forced to take loans at high rates of Interest to arrange for dowry. Some banks have even started ‘dowry loans’ and it’s not something to be proud of! There are schemes where the father can take a loan of Rs 1 crore if he wants an IIT+IIM son-in-law! Shameful, isn’t it?

• In rural areas poor people are often seen to be caught in debt trap and even getting homeless because they give their all for that dowry!

Dowry Prohibition Act , 1961

• This Act was introduced in 1961 to prohibit people from demanding and offering dowry. According to the Act anybody giving or taking dowry shall be imprisoned for not less than 5 years and will be charged a penalty of Rs 15000 or the amount of dowry, whichever is higher.

• A person who even demands dowry directly or indirectly shall attract an imprisonment of 6 months or more and a penalty of Rs 10000.

• The Act extends to the whole of India and to persons of all religions, except for Jammu and Kashmir.

• The Union Ministry of Women and Child development has been suggesting regular amendments in the act in order to strengthen the law.

Government Interventions Required

• Despite the Act, everyday dowry cases are reported. So government needs to take some concrete steps to eradicate this evil completely from the society.
  
  
  

• More and more awareness programmes for enlightening the people should be conducted especially in rural areas. People should be encouraged to spend money on a daughter’s education rather than on dowry demands.

• New schemes for women education, empowerment and jobs should be introduced.

• Severe punishments for dowry abuse need to be introduced.

Conclusion

• The Government cannot succeed if people are not willing to bring a change. We make the society and so we have to take a stand against dowry. Fathers and women all across the country should refuse to fulfil any demands made by the groom’s family and men need to tell their families that they do not need dowry to feed them! Let’s join hands and say no to Dowry!