ABSTRACT
Dowry system is followed in India since a very long time. Our ancestors started this system for valid reasons but now it is leading to big issues and problems for women and their families in society. In this article on dowry system in india, the main attention is toward what dowry exactly is, how it started, and why it should be stopped now.
INTRODUCTION
The dowry system is a great evil that is still exists in society. It is an act of discrimination against unmarried girls, whose values are defined based on the prices of their respective dowries. It is an example of greed and selfishness and is a great curse, especially for the parents who belong to the lower middle class or below poverty line. This is the reason why people get depressed and feel cursed at the birth of a daughter. They are not happy when they blessed with baby girl. Moreover, the dowry system paves the way for other crimes against women like female foeticide, female infanticides, dowry death, cruelty by husband and his relatives and many other.
DEFINITION OF DOWRY
Dowry is defined as money, goods, properties or estates, which a woman brings to her husband’s home after marriage. The system of dowry in marriages has been haunting our society for a long time. This is a social curse, which has gone unchecked, though time and again it has tormented people in general. Lust for money and acquiring high social status for one’s family has given birth to the social evil called Dowry. It has become the root cause of suicides and murders of brides. Bride burning for want of dowry has become a way of life. Different communities have different marriage customs, but the custom of giving dowry is shared by all the communities.
FACTORS BEHIND DOWRY SYSTEM IN CURRENT TIME :-
1.) Traditions and Customs.
2.) Dowry as a subject of reputation of the families.
3.) Illiteracy.
WHY DOWRY SYSTEM SHOULD STOPPED IN INDIA
The new dowry system is creating problems in society in India. Poor parents or below poverty line people do not get any groom who will marry their daughter without taking dowry. They have to take “Marriage Loans” to get their daughter married. Dowry is becoming a nightmare for Women. The cases of infanticide are increasing. Poor parents do not have any other option. They cannot afford to have a girl child, and hence they are intentionally killing infant girl. More than 8000 women are killed because of Dowry! It is dangerous for every woman in India.
STEPS TO BE TAKEN TO STOP OR ERADICATE DOWRY SYSTEM IN INDIA:-
1.) Encourage them to have their own career.
2.) Educate your daughters. Because if they are educated then they can take their own decision.
3.) Teach them to be independent and responsible. Because dependency also create or give birth to dowry in society.
4.) Treat them (your daughter) equally without any discrimination. As in today time every man and woman are equal without any difference or discrimination.
5.) Do not encourage the practice of giving or taking dowry.
PUNISHMENT OF DOWRY SYSTEM IN INDIA :-
If any person demands, directly or indirectly, from the parents or other relatives or guardian of a bride or bridegroom, as the case may be, any dowry, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months, but which may extend to two years and with fine which may extend to ten years.
DOWRY PROHIBITION ACT :-
Dowry Prohibition Act, Indian law, enacted on May 1, 1961, intended to prevent the giving or receiving of a dowry. Under the Dowry Prohibition Act, dowry includes property, goods, or money given by either party to the marriage, by the parents of either party, or by anyone else in connection with the marriage. This act is basically for the prevention or stoppage of dowry system in India.
CONCLUSION :-
Dowry system is good unless and until it is considered as a gift given to the bride by her parents. If the groom’s parents are demanding money to get married as a dowry then that is completely wrong and illegal. Women are considered to be the backbone of society, and killing or burning them just for dowry is a shameful act in itself. All said and done and to obliterate such heinous crimes some certain provisions and measures need to be undertaken by the government with the most prominent one of keeping women on par with men so they are not dependent on them and also taking women reservation as a source of women empowerment. Small changes make a big difference so to remove this peril we ought to create awareness among the people against dowry. Isn’t it quite paradoxical, a land where marriage is considered sacred, women are burned in the hands of people themselves for the matter of a few pence. Dowry should be prohibited from India so that every woman can live a smooth and easy life even after marriage.
REFERENCE :-
1.) Kundalini, K., 2020, January 21, Dowry Death under Section 304b of IPC & 113b of Evidence Act, https://blog.ipleaders.in/dowry-death/
2.) Pratyush, S., 2019, August 16, Dowry Deaths in India: A Legal Study, https://blog.ipleaders.in/dowry-deaths-india-legal-study/
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