Dowry
denotes money, gift or property brought by a bride while coming to her
husband’s house after marriage. In the past, it was a matter of disgrace to
demand gift or money from in law’s house. But it has become a trend
nowadays. Such practices as dowry system are injurious to our society. In
fact, this inhuman system devalues the status of human beings.
Generally
dowry had its origin in Hinduism. In Hinduism, daughters do not inherit the
property of their parents. So they are given goods or money at the time of
their marriage. But it has become a common phenomenon among the people of other
religion too. In the past, the parents of the bride would willingly offer some
gifts for their daughter. Now it is no longer a spontaneous gift, rather a
demand forced upon the bride’s parents. Considering the happiness of the daughter,
parents often offer goods or money to their son-in-laws. The more money her
husband is endowed with, the more worship the girl gets. But problem arises
when the parents of the bride fail to satisfy the demand of the husband.
Incidents of murder, suicide and divorce have become very frequent. The
incidents of acid throwing have also added a new dimension to this social
crime. Women, both in the rural and urban areas, are maltreated and oppressed
by their husbands and in-laws for dowry. We have law, we have law enforcing
agencies; yet, everything fails to bridle this malpractice. There is a tendency
among the girl and her family to tolerate such maltreatment rather than
breaking up the marriage. This also gives indulgence to carry on such crime.
Due
to this system, a ghastly situation prevails in the society. There are several
factors which are responsible for this social vice. Illiteracy, poverty
and the greed of the bride-groom are the major causes of this brutal system.
Besides, women’s dependency on men, their inclination to be submissive, and
people’s biased view are also responsible for this social malady to grow. Since
ours is a male dominated society, girls are considered inferior to men. So a
husband demands dowry in return for taking the responsibility of a girl.
This
system must be stopped as early as possible for the welfare of the society. To
abolish this system, the thing to be done first is to raise awareness among
all. A girl should be brought up to be independent. Every girl should be
educated properly. The families of the victim must not fear social shame;
rather they should boldly take action against dowry. They must not encourage
the girl to bear the oppression. We should remember that it is crime both to
give and to take dowry. Though our government has enacted strict laws with a
view to checking the crime, yet dowry system is prevailing and women are
suffering. Consciousness must be raised to spread female education and to
prevent the adverse effect of dowry system. Improving women’s position in
society must be an effective measure against dowry indeed.