Facts:
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National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data shows a rising graph in the number of dowry cases registered:
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~9,000 for 2012
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10,050 for 2014
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Supreme Court has pointed out in that section 498A has “dubious pride of place amongst the provisions that are used as weapons rather than shield by disgruntled wives”.
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TV ads focusing on wedding gifts/dowries are common now.
Challenges in Tackling Dowry:
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System of patriarchy is deeply entrenched in our homes. The bride is looked upon as a commodity and handed over as a package. She is bundled up with gold, a car, and other luxury items.
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Dowry Prohibition Act failed to stop the practice of dowry.
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Sufficient degree of education is also not enough to control this menace. For instance, Kerala has near-total literacy and yet weddings continue to be lavish, with brides’ parents often taking loans and nearly bankrupting themselves.
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Lack of financial independence of Women due to poor participation in work force.
Multipronged Approach to tackle dowry:
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Accepting dowry should be made a social stigma:
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Superstars should be encouraged to endorse this along with their soap and soft drink endorsements.
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Women should flatly refuse to give dowry as part of marriage and men should refuse to take it in any form. People should go for simple, inexpensive, dowry-less marriages rather than Bollywood-style extravaganzas.
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Financial independence of Women:
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Women should be supported to take up jobs and have independent incomes.
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We should expand childcare and safe public transport, reduce discrimination in hiring, and create affirming workplace environments.
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At home, men should share domestic work and care responsibilities.
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Promote Gender Equality:
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States should look at gender-disaggregated data across the life cycle – birth, early childhood, education, nutrition, livelihood, access to healthcare, etc. This will help in addressing gender inequality.
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Further boys and girls should be systematically sensitized on the core value of gender equality by their teachers and mentors.
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As a larger initiative, laws, and regulations should be screened to remove gender bias, replacing words like “manpower” with gender-neutral equivalents.
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Stopping domestic violence:
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There should be zero tolerance towards domestic violence. Families should store evidence and report at once, instead of sending battered women back fearing “what society will say”.
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Provide Support System to Victims: Support systems must be expanded to help victims with shelter, counselling, legal follow up, and livelihood support when required.
Conclusion:
Country needs a multipronged approach to tackle the inhuman practice of dowry. Mere enactment of a legislative framework or enhancement of literacy levels is not enough to control this problem.