Bangladesh: Dowry Devalues Daughters
by Fatemul Jannat
"My husband has thrown me out of the house because my father cannot afford to give him a cycle and a TV set," says Khurshida Jahan, a 21-yearold Dhaka girl.
Newspapers in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, are full of stories about women like Kursida Jahan. She is one of hundreds of dowry victims who are tortured by husbands and in-laws and sometimes murdered or driven to suicide if their parents do not meet dowry demands.
There has been a phenomenal rise in dowry-related crimes. In the last few months a complaints cell, set up by the Ministry of Women's Affairs, has registered 813 cases of harassment of women, most of them related to dowry.
"Dowry is the most common reason for separation among couples from low-income groups," a government official points out. "Hundreds of women come to us with marital problems. Dowry is the basic cause of their suffering," she discloses.
The tradition of giving dowry - gifts to a bridegroom and his family - is an age old one in the Indian sub-continent.
Customary in Bangladesh, Pakistan and India, dowry has now assumed the proportions of a social epidemic in all these countries. All three nations now have laws prohibiting dowry, but these laws remain largely on paper.
Dowry was originally a Hindu custom. Gifts were given to a bride out of parental concern for her comfort in her new home. Dowry gifts of cash and gold were also meant to be the girl's share of parental property, the better part of which went to sons.
But the custom deteriorated and the size of the dowry became the crux of negotiations in traditionally-arranged marriages. In some communities prices began to be fixed for buying a son-in-law so much for a teacher, a doctor, a mechanic or farmer.
A son-in-law may be bought but this is a seller's market. Socially, the son-in-law is considered superior to the girl and her family.
traditional dowry list of gold jewelry, clothes and utensils have been added demands for TV sets, videos and cars.
In Bangladesh, which has one of the lowest per capita incomes in the world, few parents can pay large dowries.
Bangladesh passed a dowry Prohibition Act in 1980 and further amended it by an ordinance in 1984. The law defines dowry as any property or valuable security given as consideration for the marriage. Giving or taking dowry is punishable with imprisonment or a fine.
Dowry is greatly responsible for the devaluation of daughters in the Indian sub-continent. Having a daughter means parting with wealth: having a son means receiving wealth.
Dowry is not an Islamic custom but Muslims in Bangladesh and Pakistan have adopted it, to the detriment of their societies.
Growing consumerism has escalated dowries in the sub-continent. To the The law to prevent cruelty to women, enacted in 1984, makes "causing or attempting to cause dowry deaths" a criminal offense.
"The Anti-Dowry Law acted as a deterrent and created some awareness," says Aisha Khanam, a prominent woman activist. "But, at the same time it has failed to come up to expectation due to lack of administrative support, lack of clarity in the legislation and social bias against women," she added.
A large number of cases filed under the Anti-Dowry Act are stuck in the courts because of slow administrative procedures and non-cooperation from the law enforcement agencies.
"The existing law needs to be improved to make it effective," comments Mohammad Abdul Matin, Executive Director of the Bangladesh Society for the Enforcement of Human Rights (BSHER), a voluntary organisation.
Matin explains, "After verifying the charges we put up such cases in the courts. But in most instances the women are too poor to continue with costly and time-consuming procedures, and just submit to their fate."
The law provides for mutual settlement of disputes between husband and wife. Since women lack economic and social support they compromise readily. A member of the country's Magistracy says, "My pen was ready but I could not give a single verdict in favour of these helpless women during the last three years of my career. They applied for justice but after compromised, went home, were beaten and humiliated again and accepted it as their fate."
"A woman who complains against her husband cannot return honourably to his home in 98 per cent of the cases," points out Major Mukarrim, a retired army man who is Investigating Officer for BSHER.
Organisations like the Bangladesh Mihila Parishad, the country's largest women's organisation, provide legal aid and even have shelters for destitute
women. But rehabilitation is a complex problem.
Many women are left destitute because husbands can divorce them after paying a little compensation. Another problem is husbands who simply desert wives and disappear.
Women of the Hindu majority community also suffer from dowry and other problems.
A ray of hope is the establishment of family courts. These courts are now spread all over the country and their simplified procedures make them more accessible to the poor and illiterate.
Women activists are demanding full fledged family courts with the powers. Says Aisha Khanam, "We are ready to help the government against this evil. Dowry is not only the humiliation of women, it is a humiliation of human civilisation."
Source: WFS/IPSJune 1989 Issue Via Panispenia 207 00184 Rome,