Dowry includes those items given not just to the daughter but also to her husband and in-laws. It can vary from small gifts for the daughter to big amounts of money, house/land/property, farm animals or farm machinery, expensive consumer durables and the like given to the groom’s family. Dowry can also include the type of wedding that takes place, the travel and entertainment of the groom’s party, the honeymoon expenses, money for the groom’s education or for him to set up a business.
The following are some statements regarding dowry made by women who got married. - (data taken
from standupagainstviolence.org) “In our community, wedding expenses are shared. But my in-laws asked my parents
to bear the entire engagement and wedding expenses, travel expenses of the
groom’s party, as well as our honeymoon costs!” Radhika, 26 years Faisal’s
mother said that we’ll have to give jewelry, clothes and other gifts to all
members of their family. My father-in-law had asked my father to give money to
Jignesh to set up his business- Hetal, 29 years My father fulfilled all the
demands of my in-laws. Yet, eight years after marriage, Suren threatens me with
a divorce and of throwing me out of the house if I didn’t get more. - Rajpreet,
30 years
Did you
know?
Even the advertisement of dowry is prohibited under Section 4-A of the Dowry
Prohibition Act, 1961.
