When dowry turns a killer of young lives

Marriage  no doubt, is a sacred moment for any young woman for it is a stepping stone to a new life as she sheds the worries of the past and embarks on the journey of married life, motherhood and the sharing of life’s joys and pains with her spouse.
In India, marriage unfortunately is entangled with something called ‘dowry,’ which has become an inevitable part of the ‘exchanges’ which happen during marriage rituals. 

Agreements are struck on the amount of gold and silver, land or valuables which have to change hands which often leave the bride’s kith and kin in penury. But then, most families just grin and bear it as what matters most to them is the happiness of their dear daughter. Dowry sadly, continues to prevail despite the Dowry Prohibition Act which was enacted to prevent the giving or receiving of dowry. It prohibits the practice of dowry, which involves the transfer of property, goods, or money from one party to another as part of the marriage.

There is also the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, which is a significant legislation aimed at safeguarding women from domestic abuse, including physical, emotional, sexual, and economic violence. The Act encompasses not only physical abuse but also emotional, sexual, and economic abuse. All fine words said in the law books but then, the practice of dowry continues unabated, overtly or covertly amid hard bargains, casting a dark shadow on the solemn vows spouses take at the time of their wedding.

Nothing hurts a conscientious citizen more than shocking reports which filter in almost every day on young women being harassed physically and mentally and often being driven to death when they can no longer take the abuse. On Sunday, came the report from Banashankari in Bengaluru that a 24-year-old newly married woman had allegedly ended her life after facing sustained dowry harassment at her matrimonial home. Family members were quick to allege that the victim had faced dowry harassment despite her parents reportedly giving the groom’s family substantial ‘dowry’ as they wanted their daughter to live ‘peacefully’.

How does India bid adieu to this obnoxious practice which takes hundreds of lives every year and poses a menace to matrimonial joy? Too many lives have been lost with even cases of spouses and their families murdering innocent women for failing to cough up the required ‘moolah’ coming to light. Awareness no doubt is the key. Rather than leaving it solely to the laws and courts, governments should come up with aggressive and wide-ranging campaigns with the help of NGOs to ensure that the practice of dowry does not lead to any more loss of lives.