Case Studies on Women Violence: Dowry
Introduction:
Women are more deadly than the male species. Women are submissive, vulnerable, oppressed and often subject to be exploited be their male counterpart. Women are considered equal to male in our constitution and we are headed to ensure women empowerment and women’s equal share in every sphere of life. But women are exploited and violated every day from the pre birth gender selection abortion to separation of widow through sexual and gender based exploitation in pre and post marriage period of life.
Violence against women are extreme violation of human right. But women are exploited every second, even in the time I am writing this paper may somewhere in the world at least one woman is violating. Dowry, domestic violence, rape, acid throwing, are most common form of women violence in our country.
Dowry is the most extreme form of women violence among them in our society. Upper class, middle class, and even in lower class are now faced this dowry problem. Its seemed that men bring some burden throw marriage and dowry is a sort of remedy of that burden.
Women are tortured physically and mentally for dowry by their husband and members of her husband’s family. Women are considered as a money making machine to their husband.
According a research of “Adhikar” its found that 138 women in 2007 were brutally killed by the members of their husbands family members. Male think dowry is their right and women have to give it to be married but they don’t think that once they will be father of a girl and they have to pay same dowry to their son of law.
Definition of Dowry:
Dowry is a sort of payment often by the parents of bride to the husband or his family members. It’s a payment for the happiness of the brides after marriage life.
“Dowry usually refers to the property that a woman receives from her parents and other kin as a part of her settlement. Although dowry connotes the wealth in cash or kind given to the daughter at the time of marriage, in recent times, its focus is on the gifts in kind and cash transferred to the bridegroom and his kin not only at the time of marriage, but also perpetuated after the wedding ceremony.”
Dowry is said originated from the tradition practice of Hindu marriage system. In their religion women do not get any property of their father’s family. So often father of bride would gave some thing valuables with the bride to be use full after her marriage in her in laws family. It was not any obligatory rule for brides parents. But gradually bride groom started to demand this gifts from his in laws family to marry their daughter. And now it’s widely practiced by all the religion in our country and practices as obligatory rules for women’s family to marry their unmarried daughter.
Case studies from recent papers:
Here I am headed to describe the present scenario of dowry related violence in our society. Her I first will merely describe some cases which I have collected from daily papers and later I will try to find out he causes behind the cases and its impact in our society.
Case: 1
“Mahabuba is fighting with death as she did not pay the Dowry”
Mahabuba khanom of district Bhola, is now fighting with death in the burn unit of DMCH. Her guilt is she did not pay the promised dowry to her husband from her parents’ home and at the same time she did not accept he extra marital relation of her husband and protested it.
For these two fault her husband set fire on her body in day light. This caused severe burn in Mahabuba’s upper portion of body and her two hands, nose, neck.
Mahabub is the daughter of Aminul Islam of Vola upozila. She was married with Anower Hossain son of Foyzulla Miya of the same area. Her in laws family was pushing her for dowry from the end of her marriage. She was both physically and mentally tortured by her in laws family members. She was bitten by stick and leg in a daily basis. They would put salt in her body after she was bitten.
She told her helplessness when she was interviewed in the burn unit of DMCH. At the same time she expect the right punishment of her husband. For this attempt of Mahabuba her in laws family is threatening her and they said they will kill her four years old son.
Mahabuba told that she got good behavior for only a few month from her in laws family when she marry without the consent of her parents. After that she was violated for dowry regularly. She was not do any job in spite being educated. Only a few days ago she got a job in school after a fighting with her husband. But as she became mother of her child so she accepted all the brutality of her in laws family for the better of her and her child.
At last 23rd November when she was quarreling with her husband for dowry and his extramarital relation, her husband suddenly beat him cruelly. At the next morning her husband again started quarrel with her in front of “Fahmid Enterprise” which is actually a shop of petrol and mobile phone, near the north bus stand, on her way to school. Mahabuba said this shop is too made by her money.
In between of the quarrel, Mahabuba said, suddenly her husband said, “wait, let me teach you” – and then he take some patrol from the nearby can of patrol and pour in Mahabuba’s body and set fire. The incident took place at 9 am. Then there was nobody in the shop. When she was caught by fire she came out to the street and local people took and admit her in the local hospital. Late she was transferred to DMCH.
She complained against her husband at last 27th November. According that complain her husband now in the jail.
Mahabuba’s family informed us that, from her admission in the burn unit, two operation is done to her and she needs two more operation in her chest and neck. These cost almost 90 thousand taka and she needs more. But who and how will the money be paid is still unknown.
Staff reporter
The Daily “Prothom – Alo”
3rd January 2008
Ø Case: 2
“17 thousand taka of Dowry and Story of a Sadia”
Dowry took another life of a housewife named “Sadia”. Her husband “Roni” pour kerosene on her body on the last 24th December as she did not pay the 17 thousand taka of dowry. After 12 days of treatment in Rajshahi medical college hospital they transferred her to DCMH. But Sadia’s family took her to their home instead of Dhaka due to lack of money. And the next day Sadia died.
According to Charmohor thana and Sadia’s family, Sadia, (18) daughter of late Abdus sattar of chatmohor Upozila of Pabna was married with Oahidul Haque Roni (24) son of Belal Hossain of Kakmari of Aatghoriya Upozila. Roni was a garments worker in Dhaka. He was promised to give 27 thousand taka as a dowry. But the brother of sadia who are daily labor could not afford more than 10 thousand taka at time and sadia was cruelly bitten for rest of the money. Sadia once came back to her brothers family as she failed to tolerate the brutality.
At the next day of last Eid of 22nd December, Roni came to his in laws home and demand the rest of the money. When he was said the money is not possible to pay, then he started to beat his wife. At last 24th December he pour Kerosene in Saida’s body and set fire. Saida cried out and her brothers came. In the mean time she was burned dangerously. And Roni fled. She was admitted in Rajshahi Medical college Hospital. She was treated there for 12 days and when they got no development then at 6th January the doctors wished to transfer her to Dhaka. But as her poor brothers had not enough money so they took away their sister to home and at 7th January Sadia died.
The poor family failed to managed any source of money to treat her, corresponding family members said, and no none from Sadia’s family came to help them. Sadia’s cousin, student of master in Edward college said “Most of the part of Sadia’s body was burned and as she had worn worm cloth, so she got a quick fire. She needed a better treatment, but her poor family had no way to bear the cost of the treatment”
Habibur Rahman, elder brother of Sadia told, “Our father died 20 years ago, we hardly kept our nose above water. But we studied our sister till class 10. What Roni did for Dowry is not any humanoid behavior. We expect his death sentence.”
Sadia’s elder brother Habibur Rahman filed a case against Roni at next day of the incident. But Roni is not found by police and they are searching Roni.
Farque Hossain
Pabna Office.
The Daily ‘Prothom – Alo’
16th January 2008
Case: 3
“Teenaged housewife brutally chained up for payment of Dowry”
Shilpi (18) years old teenage housewife is punished in feudal way as she did not withdraw the case against dowry. She was been bitten in this way for almost 2 months by the members of her in laws family. She is now mentally ill due to chronic physical and mental torture. Shilpi is the daughter of farmer Abu of Baufal ‘char diyara kochuya’. She was married with Jahangir Farayezi (25) son of Shamsul haque Farayezi of the same Iceland almost one and a half year ago. Abu gave 20 thousand taka in cash and gold of 35 thousand taka price and other valuables cost 30 thousand taka for the happiness of her daughter.
But only after the one and half month of the marriage Jahangir demand another 50 thousand taka from Shilpi’s parents. But as Abu failed to pay the dowry so Shilpi had been cruelly bitten.
Shilpi sued against her husband under the child abuse law in patuakhali. After that her husband started brutal torture on shilpi. They put chili powder in her body sensitive parts of her body. Sometimes she would kept chained on ground or cot without any blanket. She did not get regular food and bath.
In the mean time Jahangir married for second time and at 22 May Jahangir “I will not torture any more one my wife” gave this statement and get a relies from the child abuse law. But Jahangir still continued torturing Shilpi to withdraw the case against Jahangir. And they again chained her up for two days. The local journalists got news and inform the local police station. The inspector rescued Shilpi but she is still did not get relies from mental illness.
Kamruzzaman bacchu, Baufal
The Daily ‘Prothom-Alo’
07th June 2008
Case: 4
“Wife is killed by beaten for Dowry in Dhaka”
Rehana Begam(22) is killed by cruelly beaten by her husband in Badda of Dhaka city. Husband Roton Miya is missing after the incident. Jashimuddin brother of the killed woman informed us, Rehana Begam was married with Roton Miya 5 years ago. After some months of marriage Roton often would beat his wife for 1 lack taka dowry. For this demand they gave some money for several times to Roton Miya. But the their sister’s luck did not change and the brutality continued.
It was 8am of Friday morning, Roton started his brutality in the ma-92 no holding of Merul Badda. Roton left their sister senseless. Jashimuddin got the news at 11am and rushed to her sister’s house and found Rehana senseless there. He took her to DMCH and filed a case under “nari o shisu domon ayin.” But at Saturday 11pm Rehana Begam took her last breath.
Staff Report
The Daily janakantha
14th January 08
Case: 5
“Wife is killed for Dowry in Shampur”
Jannatul ferdous Jhinu (24) mysteriously died in Shampur of Dhaka city. Police took her body at last Thursday from Rasulpur.
She is died for brutality of her husband Mirajul Islam, claimed her family. They claimed, Janntul is killed for dowry. Her husband is missing after the incident. They had two children Joy(7) and Raka(3). Jhinu’s cousin, A.K.M. Shohidul Islam said, Jhinu was married with shaon at 2000. They gave 10 ‘vori’ gold and 2 lack taka cash in the marriage. Recently Jhinu’s husband put presser on her for bringing another 6 lack taka cash. But as Jhinu’s family failed to pay the expected dowry, Jhinu was killed with active help of Shaon’s father, mother, and siblings, claimed victim’s family members. After the incident a case is filled in the shampur thana.
Mirtford reporter
The Daily ‘Prothom-Alo’
05th April 2008
Search for the causes and consequences:
Above discussed Dowry related case studies reveal that dowry is not result of one factor but several causes are related to it. Poverty, illiteracy, patriarchy, low economic condition of women and social values or norms that objectified women are directly or indirectly underlined behind dowry.
Poverty are considered as one of the main causes of dowry. Its found from above cases that most of the incidents took places in middle and lower class who are mainly economically poor. They often failed to pay expected dowry and it resulted violence.
Education make people aware about their rights and laws of the nation. But most of the illiterate people are unaware about their rights and laws against dowry. So they think its natural to pay the dowry to the bride groom. If they would know that its forbidden in our law that both giving and taking dowry is restricted then they would stop paying dowry to the groom. But the remote places such as islands of the country where the media does not work or the people are not well educated there dowry settled permanently.
Patriarchal social system made a belief in our society that keeps women in subject to men. They think women as worthless. They think as men take care of women after marriage so they have right to take dowry.
Low economic condition of women is too important to continue dowry. As women are not money earners in family and they have no income so men take this opportunity and demand dowry. But if women would have any source of income, then men would respect them and would not demand any dowry.
Impact of Dowry in our Daily life:
Dowry does not only create women violence but also create other social tension and problems. It creates economic hardship to a family and psychological stress in family life.
Another case study of Lakshipur district published in the “Daily Prothom Alo” 20th April 2008 said that, a poor farmar named Abdul kalam killed his two daughter Shurma (13) and Parveen (6) as he failed to pay promised dowry to his son-in-law. When his 13 years old daughter was bitten for dowry and as he had no other way to pay the dowry so he killed his daughters and surrender to the nearby police station.
Not only this its often found women are killed for dowry. Not only they were killed but also they were bitten brutally and sometimes they have to face acid violence or direct sexual violence.
In Gaibandha district another house wife “Champa Begom” (23) killed her two children and committed suicide by drinking pesticide. It’s found that she too was tortured for dowry.
In Kaliakoir thana of Gazipur District a daily labour “Abdul Salam” suicides when he heard the news of his doughter’s divorce for dowry just after 25 days of marriage. When he got the news of his daughter’s divorce then he enter in his home and drink pesticide.
It’s found that, Dowry is a major reason for chronic poverty in a survey conducted in 1800 household jointly by Washington-based “International Food Policy Research Institute” for 14 years till 2007 in rural Bangladesh. Peter Davis of the University of Bath in report said,
“The losses caused by dowry are far more than the gains. It is major cause of the impoverishment of poor families.”
So dowry is one of the major violence in our daily life that causes several negative impacts. So we need to stop it right now.
Positive awareness against Dowry:
Dowry where is like a poisonous snake coiled in our daily life there some people still trying their best to get rid of this problem and to increase the public consciousness.
“Taking Dowry means Begging, Taking Dowry means losing personality”
Above mentioned two are some of the wall sign of Jumman Khan Niyazi, a Rickshaw painter of Voirob Town. He mainly a painter and having shop in his town. After the complication of his work he write this type of public awareness raising comments behind Rickshaw, road side wall, without any cost.
This Low earning young man is doing this for last 12 years. He personally heat dowry and tell others not to take dowry.
Around the country many cultural functions are going on aided by both govt. and non-govt. organizations against dowry and to raise public awareness.
In Gaphargong, such cultural function took place at last 18th April 2008 with the presence of local politicians and administrative figures.
Another positive awareness is found in Lalmonirhat district. There people of North Saptana Boycotted a Dowry greedy family form all forms of social factions and restricted their communications with others in the village.
Conclusion:
Dowry related violence is now an every day event in our country. The law against dowry is stringent enough to act as a deterrent. But the reality of the wretched lives of young women, particularly among the less educated sections of society, is that they still have to justify their presence in the husband’s family by bringing in money and other valuables from their parents’ home.
So it’s the right time to take proper steps against Dowry. If failed to make proper solutions of the problems, then our next generation has to face more problems than we are having right now.
~ Bibliography ~
1. The Daily Prothom Alo.
2. The Daily Janokontho.
3. The Daily Star.
4. BBC.news.uk
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