The horror of dowry deaths

Dowry death is the thriving news featuring often in the media. Domestic violence is the kind of term that hides the reality. It should be called murder, because it’s not an accidental or natural death. It’s premeditated, deliberate, cold-blooded act of murder and solely for profit, because the bride’s parents could not pay up. Imagine the horror of being forcibly held down, doused in kerosene or petrol (the commonest modus operandi) and set ablaze. And this is what happened with this 26-year-old girl who got married last month.

Rajeshwari was a very lively girl. Her father, a retired school teacher, managed to give 15 tolas cash and a two wheeler. But Rajeshwari’s in laws were not satisfied and her husband and mother-in-law burnt her alive. She was disfigured for life, scarred physically, mentally and emotionally. It’s not a pretty sight. As her feeble body lay in Gandhi Hospital in agony and pain, Rajeshwari asked for some idly and water and made an appeal to attend her brother’s wedding.

Even seasoned activists recoil in horror from the burnt, charred flesh, the contorted skin, the sheer horror of it all. Imagine the plight of the victims then. They suffer agony, it takes months to recover. The first time they look at themselves they are shocked and traumatised by the stranger in the mirror. The knowledge that they have to live with the physical scarring, where once there was youth and beauty, depresses them. Even when they survive, just the simple act of carrying on living is hard. Do they go back to their parental homes? How do they support themselves? How many families can provide back up to a woman? We don’t see pictures of these women in our papers or on TV. So they remain statistics, not even seen as very disturbing ones. In a crime that is prevalent only in India, greedy husbands and their relatives harass the newly wed for more dowry and often kill women in the process. And, very often, she is burnt alive. This horror is therefore called bride-burning or in official terms, dowry death.

Dowry has become a social menace in modern India leading to oppression on women, physical violence on the bride, causing a financial and emotional stress on the parents of the bride, marital conflict and so on. This menace exists even today in the society even though it is a criminal offence to take dowry during marriage.

Among the patriarchal social customs prevalent in our society, the widespread practice of dowry affects both rural and urban women. The amount of dowry a woman brings to her in-laws at the time of marriage varies depending on her family wealth, but certain material expectations such as furnishing the in-laws house and gifting gold jewellery and embellished clothing to the extended family of the husband tend to be the minimum standard for many families. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, there were 8,391 reported cases of dowry deaths in 2010. Just under double the number of cases registered in 1995 – 4,648 cases. For every dowry death reported, there are dozens that go unreported. Of the 8,391 reported cases in 2010, although 93.2 per cent were charge-sheeted. The conviction rate was a miserable 33.6 per cent. The murderers and their families get away with it. What’s worse, they go scot free and bring back another bride. The potential implications of promoting dowry are evident in a society where the birth of a girl is marked by a cry of sorrow. Yet, it is often the sensitive nature of the wedding process that prevents the bride’s family from questioning the burden of dowry amidst blatantly expressed expectations of material gains in coercive circumstances.

The government has taken many steps to stop the abominable practice of dowry. The Dowry Prohibition Act, passed in 1961, prohibits the request, payment or acceptance of dowry, where ‘dowry’ is defined as a gift demanded or given as a precondition for a marriage. A new law seeks to redress dowry violence and India's larger problem of domestic abuse. “The Protection of Women Against Domestic Violence Act, which came into effect on October 26, defines domestic abuse broadly to include marital rape, emotional abuse, and economic harassment. A family member found in violation of the act can be hit with a fine of Rs 20,000 or a year in prison or both,” says advocate Vimla Devi from the family court.

While the Dowry and Bridal Gifts (Restriction) Act (1976), the Dowry and Bridal Gifts (Restriction) Rules (1976), and the Dowry and Bridal Gifts (Restriction) Amendment Ordinance (1980) attempt to limit the practice of dowry.

“Ultimately, it is not the mere adoption of legislation, but its effective implementation that can prevent dowry deaths and dowry-related violence and harassment. Unfortunately, as the consumerist culture continues to escalate in our contemporary society, the practice of dowry as well as the incidence of dowry-related violence is on the rise,” explains Shanta Sinha, a social activist.

The new law is revolutionary not only in its definition of domestic abuse, but in the recourse it offers victims. Though domestic violence was criminalised in 1983, abused women rarely complained to the police. This is largely due to the fact that most Indian women are financially dependent on their husbands and fear the repercussions of turning them in. Though prohibited 45 years ago, dowry payments continue to be a mainstay of Indian weddings. Police simply look the other way.