home

= Issues Facing Women In India: Dowry Harassment =



**History of Dowry Harassment:**
India's illegal system is still thriving, leaving women vulnerable to abuse, sometimes even murder. Nearly 150,000 crimes were recorded against women in 2000, many more crimes are being committed than recorded and one of the main problems is dowry. More and more women are coming out and telling their stories of harassment. "Husbands are demanding things - a scooter or some money - it's one of the easiest ways to get money." The growing middle class in Indiais fueling the demands for dowry cash and gifts. Scooters or mopeds, are one of the most common gifts given for dowry. Giving or receiving any dowry of more than 7,000 rupees (£9 0/US$150) is a crime in India. It can cost up to $100,000 for a family in India to find a groom for their daughter. This all happens despite the fact that it is illegal to give or receive more than $150 in dowry payments.



The main prison in Delhi, Tihar Jail, has a "mother-in-law" cell block, set aside exclusively for women who have killed or harassed their daughters-in-law. It is full of elderly women, some of whom are serving 20-year sentences for murder. Dowries are not going away. They are deeply ingrained in Indian society and are growing stronger, and the law prohibiting them is treated with contempt. The police are powerless to stop it and even comm unities such as Muslims, who never used to give dowries, are now doing so with the inevitable sinister consequences. "Dowry abuse is a very serious problem. It is often in the guise of domestic abuse and violence. It could be through false imprisonment of a wife, it could be through her being physically assaulted. "There have also been cases where women have been scalded or had bleach thrown in their faces," she said.



Cases of Dowry Harassment
• One woman who has experienced this type of abuse first hand is mother of two Dwinderjit Kaur, from Nottingham. When she got married her parents gave her a dowry worth several thousands dollars. But says her parents-in-law wanted more. "The dowry wasn't enough. The things I was gifted weren't enough. The jewelry was one side of it, but I was gifted various household items. It wasn't good enough for them," she said. She says the demands from her in-laws were clear. "I was told, if your parents don't turn up on the doorstep with the right amount of jewelry, the right amount of money and the right amount of clothes, we're not going to let them step foot in the house.

media type="youtube" key="e85mnwHuaoM?fs=1" height="307" width="384" align="right" • A southwest Delhi wife was physically and mentally harassed killed herself when three months pregnant, being pressured by her husband, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law. Demands for money often continue well into the marriage. If the family does not pay, there can be a heavy price.

• Cases of newly-wed women burning to death in stove "accidents" occur daily. Some women are forced to commit suicide by their husbands; others are simply murdered by their husband's family. The Indian Government has also responded to the increasing p roblem by passing a law so that anyone even remotely connected to the death of a wife can be thrown in jail. As a result, entire families can be imprisoned. Many parents believed that "squeezing" dowry out of the bride was the quickest way of satisfying their consumer needs and incessantly harassed her to meet their demands.


 * Severity of Dowry Harassment**

Over 12,612 dowry deaths were recorded across India in 1998 and 1999, the largest number in the eastern states of Uttar Pradesh (2,229) and Bihar (1,039), considered the most backward. Every hour and forty minutes, a case of dowry harassment occurs. Today any such death within seven years of marriage is deemed unnatural, and a case of murder can be registered against the husband and his parents. If convicted, prison sentences can stretch to 14 years.