Latest statistics issued by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) shows that Odisha reported as many as 1,487 cases under Dowry Prevention Act accounting for 16.5 per cent of the total cases recorded in the country during 2012.
Though the State was only behind Andhra Pradesh, which reported 2,511 cases, in
terms of number of cases, Odisha clocked 7.3 per cent crime rate, the highest
in the country which meant at least seven women faced dowry demands and related
harassment and torture in a population of one lakh.
What is worse, the rate of crime has substantially gone up compared to last
year when it was barely 2.5 per cent against the national rate of 0.5 per cent.
Last year, the all-India rate of crime for dowry stood at 1.5 per cent.
The incidence of dowry torture has jumped significantly over the last few
years, the report said. From 942 cases reported in 2010, the figure has
spiraled to 1,487 last year. Similarly, dowry deaths have been on the rise too,
from 388 deaths reported in 2010 to 525 last year. In the last six years, as
many as 2,624 dowry deaths have been reported in the State which was among the
first States to put in place an anti-dowry law in India. Of these cases, barely
about 11 per cent cases (154 to be exact) ended in conviction while a whopping
570 cases saw acquittal of the accused. By the end of the year, at least 5,149
cases were pending trial in different courts.
CONCLUSION
Dowry is a transfer of property from the bride’s
family to that of the bridegroom, at the time of marriage (Negi, 1997). The
practice of giving material gifts and cash to bridegroom and his kin continues
even after marriage (Paul, 1993). In its new form, dowry has come to include
cash, jewelry, household items, appliances and vehicles and it is often
open-ended in nature (Puri, 1999, Van Willigen & Channa, 1991).
The results of the present study show that this demand for dowry is present in
all religions, in all types of marriages (Love /Arranged/Love-cum-arranged) and
in all types of families (nuclear, joint or joint extended). People of all economic
status and educational backgrounds have demanded dowry and indulged in domestic
violence when this demand has not been fulfilled. According to Gangrade and
Chander (1991), “the dowry system as it is practiced today, has become an
instrument of oppression and torture for the bride and her parents”. The
results of the present
study are in line with these findings. 36.2% of women reporting domestic
violence gave dowry demands as the primary cause of violence against them. They
have faced all kinds of violence i.e. physical, psychological/emotional,
economic and verbal.
The persons who indulged in this domestic violence
against them were: husband followed by mother-in-law, father in-law and all of
them. According to Kumar (1993) “the control of women and the potential for
violence are especially great when a woman leaves her natal home to become part
of her husband’s family. On moving in with in-laws, the status of the
daughter-in-law is often very low compared with the men and even any older
women in the household. If there are dowry related problems, it is at this
stage that the likelihood of fatal violence is elevated”.
The abuse begins when the husband and/or in-laws harass the wife for more money
and more goods from her family (Kelkar, 1992). The reasons for making monetary
demands in the shape of dowry as given by the respondents were education
expenses for husband or his brother/sister’s education, followed by purchase of
motor vehicle (motor cycle/car) or other household items like refrigerator/air
conditioner, T.V. etc. “Exposure to media has resulted in an increasing trend
towards consumerism; people cannot afford the luxuries that are thrust upon
them through
advertisements targeted at the urban population and they see dowry as an avenue
to fulfill their otherwise impossible dreams, (Negi, 1997). Sometimes, the dowry
provided by the parents of the bride is seen insufficient and demands for
supplement items continue long after the couple is married (Narsimhan, 1994).
Another feeling among mother’s in-law is that when she herself brought dowry
from her house at the time of her marriage, why shouldn’t she take dowry for
her son (Saravanan, 2002). This may be the reason of so many mothers-in-law
resorting to violence on their daughters-in-law and they do not feel shy of
indulging in it.
Once married, women leave their natal home and begin their new life as part of
their husband’s family (Puri, 1999).
“This residential pattern is another factor that contributes to the violence
and dowry murders because often the woman’s kin do not reside close to her, as
a result, the abused woman cannot leave her marital home and retreat to the
safety of her natal home. Even if she does manage to return to her parents’
home, her husband or his family often comes to retrieve her, claiming the
violence will stop, which usually does not” (Johnson and Johnson, 2001).
References
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