As Mahatma Gandhi correctly stated, dowry, which was originally a gift from the bride’s family to the husband, has now become a condition of marriage. A stipulation imposed by the groom’s family in order for them to improve their financial situation. Thousands of women die by suicide or are murdered by their husbands and in-laws every year, primarily as a result of their husbands’ and in-laws’ thirst for dowry. Twenty women die per day in India as a result of harassment by their new husbands and/or in-laws for failing to bring an adequate dowry to the marriage. The dowry system’s terrible reality is not confined to rural communities. Even well sophisticated and highly educated families in large cities such as Delhi and Bangalore harass a woman for not bringing enough gold or money. Domestiviolence and dowry death cases are on the rise in Karela, which has the highest literacy rate. In India, dowry demand/death affects not only uneducated women; even highly educated brides are pushed to commit suicide as a result of dowry demand. No matter how many PhDs a woman has, her identity and right to live are determined by the amount of gold, cash, new cars, and appliances she brings in as dowry for her in-laws. A young 27-year-old PhD student from Delhi committed suicide because her in-laws objected to her pursuing her education. Anissa Batra, a flight attendant from Delhi, allegedly leapt off her terrace after being mentally tormented for dowry, according to her parents. Sometimes to avoid legal repercussions, the husband and his family may torture the wife mentally and physically, leading her to commit suicide. Last year, in Kerala, a 27-year-old woman was starved to death by her in-laws after their dowry demand of two lakhs was not met. The Kashmir valley, which was once thought to be free of violence against women, has now become a hotbed of it. Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh registered 29,314 (including 403 instances in Ladakh) criminal cases under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) or Special and Local Laws (SLL) in 2020, according to the latest report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). According to data, there were nine dowry deaths in 2020, 243 occurrences of rape, 349 cases of cruelty towards women by their husbands or relatives, 1,639 cases of assault on women, and 1,744 cases of attack on women with intention to outrage their modesty. According to the NCRB report, Jammu and Kashmir would have 31 stalking instances, 15 incidents of sexual harassment, and three cases of sexual harassment at work in 2020. Murder incidents increased by 25% in 2020, with 149 cases reported compared to 119 in 2019. In 2020, there were 487 incidents of attempted murder, 35 cases of abetment of suicide, and 24 cases of abetment of suicide of women, according to the data. In 2020, there were also 472 attempted suicides. For the previous three years, the number of kidnapping and abduction cases in the Union Territory has decreased. Kidnapping and abduction instances decreased from 1,137 in 2018 to 961 in 2019 and 868 in 2020. Nowadays, hardly a day passes without a story about a dowry death appearing in breaking news. Excessive expectations, particularly from the families of grooms, can lead to abuse and violence towards women when they are not met. Kashmir is no exception to dowry death related cases. Dowry deaths continue to shame Kashmir valley, besides literacy rate in Jammu and Kashmir has seen an upward trend in recent years to be 77.30% The recent incidence in Achabal Anantnag, where a young woman was allegedly starved to death by her in-laws for dowry, illustrates that despite legislation prohibiting the terrible practise, the mindset of the people has not changed. Despite the fact that India has numerous laws prohibiting and punishing “dowry killings” or “bride-burnings,” they continue to occur in increasing numbers due to ambiguous legislative language, shoddy enforcement, cultural attitudes, and economic discrimination against women. India, as a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), violates the “right to life” as expressed in Article 6(1) and guaranteed by Article 2 by failing to effectively prevent dowry deaths. Despite the efforts of the Indian government, statutory regulations in India have been ineffectual in reducing dowry deaths. The practise of requiring dowry has grown across India, and the number of dowry deaths is on the rise. Even religious groups that had never previously practiced dowry norms have begun to demand dowry.” Despite the rise in dowry deaths, only a few dowry-related murder convictions have been achieved. The following four reasons, in our opinion, account for the increased frequency of Dowry deaths. (1) Legal ambiguity (2) Non-enforcement of current regulations (3) Cultural attitudes toward women (4) Economic discrimination against women This broken structure is the primary reason why daughters are regarded as a financial burden to their families. Consequently, families either keep the wealth aside for the daughter’s dowry rather than investing in her education or kill her before birth to get rid of the burden forever. One of the far-flung village of Kashmir valley, located in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal District, which has outright abolished dowry system for the past four decades, can provide us a better lesson on how to eradicate this dowry issue. Baba Wayil: The Village with perfect example having Anti-Dowry Law: The biggest change can sometimes occur in the tiniest of spaces.
To protect its females, a small community in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal region has passed a law prohibiting dowry and costly weddings. The people made the decision four decades ago and have adhered to it to the letter and spirit to this day. Despite the fact that the village leaders made the decision to not receive or give dowry four decades ago in 2004, around 100 families have signed the official document. In 2018, the same agreement was amended to state that the groom’s family has no right to demand anything from the bride’s family. The dowry system has been formally abolished in Baba Wayil after all villagers signed a stamp paper. No one has the right to demand a television, jewellery, refrigerator, clothes, or other items from the bride’s family, according to a declaration signed by the residents of Baba Wayil. There is no such custom of presenting extravagant gifts to the bride or groom, regardless of how wealthy the family is. Everyone, affluent or poor, must adhere to the same standards. Anyone who breaks the restrictions is forbidden from attending congregational prayers at the village mosque and is denied permission to be buried in the community cemetery. There is a complete societal boycott against anyone who engages in dowry, which is considered a terrible offence by the locals. According to the villagers, one family broke the norm and was completely shunned, with no one daring to speak to them. That family eventually left the village. According to the contract signed by villagers, the groom’s family must provide the bride’s family Rs 50,000, which includes Rs 20,000 Mehar, 20,000 for wedding attire, and 10,000 for additional expenses. Gold, on the other hand, is shunned from both sides. After witnessing a surge in dowry cases and the resulting hardships, Baba Wayil enacted this ordinance to protect its daughters. “The community has set an example that others must follow in order to eradicate this societal evil that is destroying its social fabric and breeding other evils.” It was also discovered that since the anti-dowry regulation was implemented, there has been no single occurrence of domestic violence, suicide, or in-law conflict.” Procedure for filling dowry complaints: It is astonishing to see that, even after 70 years of freedom, such a heinous murder is still carried out in several regions of India, particularly in our Kashmir valley, which was previously known as Peer veer (Land of Sufi Saints). How can a country progress if the women who live within it are not respected? As a result, necessary actions must be done to encourage and educate women about their rights to speak out against this infraction, which many men believe they can get away with. Even today, many women in our country are unaware that dowry is illegal under the 1961 dowry prohibition act. The Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961″ makes it illegal for anyone to accept dowry. Any delay in filling complaint might go against her because it will appear like she was unconcerned about what had transpired. The most essential thing in life is to live with dignity and respect. Over the years, the government has simplified and made it more accessible for women to report dowry-related abuse to the police. Women can now even submit a complaint online, due to advances in technology. No police station in the country has the authority to refuse to file your complaint because it falls outside of their jurisdiction. Your complaint may be transferred to an appropriate police station if the FIR is filed under a zero number. If the relevant authority continues to refuse, you can file a complaint or request a meeting with the next senior officer or officer in command. You can also file a complaint with the National Commission for Women’s website or any NGO that deals with women’s safety and protection. Email complaints are also accepted by the National Commission for Women. [email protected] is their email address. Women’s police stations have also opened in order for women to make complaints. In 1992, the Tamil Nadu government established the first all-female police station. “Even police stations have a specific women’s cell where ladies can air their grievances. It is more pleasant for women because the inspector can fully comprehend her situation and a connection of trust develops. The women will believe she will be treated fairly.” Police complaints can now be be lodged online. Every state police department now allows citizens to register FIRs online using their official website. Police complaints can now be be lodged online. Every state police department now allows citizens to register FIRs online using their official website.
(The authors are research scholars at Central University of Punjab, where they are pursuing a Master’s degree in Environmental Law. Views are exclusively their own)
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