A NATIONAL daily reported on Wednesday that parents of an ill-fated woman met her husband’s demand for dowry time and again over the last four years but the man became more greedy every time to demand more money. But as the women refused renewed demand, her husband attacked her overtaken by fury and tried to gouge out her right eye.
Dowry remains the most common evil to endanger the life of women in the hands of the husbands and beastly attacks on hapless wives, gouging their eyes and burning their face is most common news items in national dailies at frequent intervals. In many cases they are hanged or killed.
Poverty, illiteracy, narrow mentality, negative attitude to the women, dependence of husband on others without a job are most common causes of dowry. Even members of well off families torture women for dowry of the kind like gift of a car or fund for business and failure brings torture. Gouging eyes is the latest form of torture on women. It shows backwardness of the society. Its evil effect on economy is tremendous that a study found out showing dowry payments of more than 200 times the average daily wage and costly medical expenses. Even in poor families sometimes the father of a young bride had to take loan from the bank to meet the demand. Divorce, suicide, mental and physical tortures are on rise centering dowry and the number of broken families are also growing on this account.
Accused in dowry cases often go without trial because poor families can’t get attention of law enforcers when the perpetrators buy impunity at the cost of money. Many use the political cover to escape arrest and facing trial. Law enforcement agencies often keep their eyes shut against this brutality. Many victims even do not want to file cases or continue legal battle as they face threats of physical assaults.
Many believe that there is a need for change to “get rich overnight” mentality with money from the parents of a woman. A mass awareness campaign must be at work. Women’s social groups must take such cause and set up anti-discrimination committee to protect woman from torture and violence must be set up at local level.
The most effective remedy may come from prosecution of the offenders and law enforcers must be highly cooperative to save women and their poor parents from the evils of dowry now spreading in the society.
