Domestic Violence

The monetary status of the articles, currency, estate and other things brought by a woman to her husband after marriage is defined by the word dowry or trousseau. Dowry is an age old custom which prevails all over human society, in one form or the other. There are many regulations and codes of conduct in different cultures commanding the way dowry should be handled. Mehr or bride price is the exact opposite of dowry, where the boy and his family have to pay a price to get a bride. The custom of dowry is still prevalent in India. It is an ancient Indian practice which has taken ugly proportions in modern times. It is more common in the northern part of the country.

The ugly face of dowry related crimes within the high walls domesticity, where brides are burnt for dowry, and female children squashed in the wombs of the mothers – gave birth strict anti-dowry laws listed in Article 498 A of the Indian Penal Code. Effective police action and increased social awareness of the evil effects of the practice of dowry, has done much to diminish its popularity. But dowry still persists in many parts of the country and is one of the main reasons of domestic abuse.

Dowry started as custom in the upper classes of Indian society, but became the bane of all classes and communities with time. Sanctioned dowry stimulates the emotion of greed, in man and undermines the true purpose of matrimony. Joint families are still a part of Indian society. An Indian girl marries to become a part of the boy’s extended family, unlike western countries where the man and woman marries to live alone and create their own financial independence. The social definition of family in India places an added burden on the girl’s family to pay a dowry. All dowry demands are made verbally in the form of customs and rituals, and these demands continue indefinitely beyond the extent of the wedding date. An inability to cater to these demands, then leads to domestic violence and abuse.

A girl child is still not welcome in Indian families for the same reason. Bride burning for dowry is also very common in Indian society. Many married girls commit suicide due to monetary demands made by their in laws on their parents, and other family members. In conservative societies there is no way of escape for a woman whose life is in danger in her matrimonial home, due to dowry demands. She has to accept the physical and mental torture meted out to her in her husbands home with quiet resignation. This can prove fatal for her life. Orthodox Indian parents rarely take married girls back into their homes as it is considered a big disgrace.

However there is now an increasing concern in Indian society over the terrible misuse of this custom and anti- dowry laws have been framed to punish those who harass the bride and her family for dowry. This has also lead to a new wave where girls and their families make false cases of dowry related harassment against their husbands and their families. Bride burning is the most horrendous form of dowry related crimes which still happens from time to time in India. The crime is normally cloaked as kitchen burns or accidents by the groom’s family.