Domestic violence and Dowry System are two main issues which need to be addressed to save marriages. Marriage is a social institution that allows a man and a woman to have a stable relationship in which their families are also connected and affects the whole society and the future generations. It connects the family members of the couple and helps in the progression of the society. Marriage is something which is valued a lot in our Indian societies irrespective of any religion. Even if a person attains the highest level of education , gets a high paid job or is excelling in their careers but if they are not married then they are not considered to have attained their life goal and therefore it is very necessary for their survival and the survival of their future generations.
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And it is more important for a girl to get married in our society. When a girl takes birth in the family the sole aim of the family is to save money for their wedding day and find a groom for her. And to settle her in life.
Parents start saving money for the wedding and feel that marriage is more important than the education of the girl and therefore do not invest much in their education. And spend the money on her wedding and most of this money is given as Dowry to the groom’s family. And this is a very negative aspect of our society which has continued since the past. In many families the bride is seen as a bank which brings Dowry to the groom’s house and if she does not come with it then the real game starts of domestic violence.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Domestic violence is a kind of violence or any kind of abuse that one faces in a domestic setting and under the institution of marriage. The violence includes beating, verbal abuse , sexual assaults, marital rape , financial abuse, choking , emotional strain and in some cases leads to the death of the person. And the victims of domestic violence are majorly women. Women are the ones who face severe forms of domestic violence in their houses for various reasons like mental health problems of the accused , financial pressure, dependence on the spouse, social stress etc. All these are the major contributing factors for domestic violence in households.
As per the National Family Health Survey, 2019-2021, “29.3 per cent of married Indian women between the ages of 18 and 49 have experienced domestic/sexual violence; 3.1 per cent of pregnant women aged 18 to 49 have suffered physical violence during their pregnancy.” and this is definitely stressful data. In major cases women do not file cases or reports due to family and social pressures, for the family’s respect and status and as Divorce is still a taboo in our country so women try to save their marriage and continue to be a victim of domestic violence.
Let’s understand in depth about the forms of domestic violence which women face in the country.
Physical violence
When it comes to violence then physical violence is the easiest form of violence that men use in Indian marriages. It includes beating, slapping, kicking, throwing objects and even use of weapons like knives , sticks etc. These things harm the women intensely and are the most obvious form of violence.
Emotional violence
In this the woman is abused at such a large scale that she gets emotionally strained and loses her self confidence and self worth. She loses her abilities to think and to make any decision for herself. And it basically includes verbal abuse , name calling, stalking, isolation and degrading her self respect.
Sexual harassment and assaults
Women become the victim of sexual abuse and have to face marital rape kind of situation which is considered normal and not given importance in the present time too. Most of the Indian women face marital rape and they re not even aware about this thing and they themselves don’t find it wrong in many cases. As it is considered the right of the woman to please her husband and let him do whatever he wants to do.
Economic abuse
By Economic abuse we mean that the woman is threatened to be deprived of the economic resources if she doesn’t do what the family wants. She is warned that her children would not be given the financial resources. And this then led to the suppression of the woman and her children.
It is such a shame that even after so many years of women empowerment campaigns and the progress of women , women face such brutal forms of violence in our country.
Reasons of domestic violence
There are various reasons for domestic violence, so let’s ponder upon them.
Patriarchal society
As we know that in the present also our society is a Patriarchal one and therefore is controlled by men and therefore men have a problem of superiority complex which leads to domestic violence if women are not working or doing things according to them.
Behavioral and sociological factors
Lack of trust and extra marital affairs is one of the causes of domestic violence. Psychology factors like anxiety , low self esteem , depression also leads to practices of domestic violence in families.
Cultural factors
The desire for a male child and the one who’ll take forward the family’s bloodline ahead is prominent in our Indian households and if a male child is not born then the woman has to face the atrocities and is considered to be the culprit.
DOWRY System
Dowry is the most prominent reason behind domestic violence in India. And it can be considered a socio-cultural factor.
Dowry is considered totally normal in various religions in our society and is practiced in every religion. Although it had been criminalized in India in 1961 through The Dowry Prohibition Act 1961 and also included section 498 A in IPC to save women from the harassment of in-laws . And is not welcomed as an important practice in religion by the Government. It is totally illegal but then also it is prevalent in Present time irrespective of the class you belong to. Either you are from lower , middle or upper class all of them practice Dowry. Dowry is a social evil against which we all need to fight as it destroys the institution of marriage.
Dowry basically includes the goods of household use like furniture, utensils, jewelry , car , land papers. These are given by the bride’s family to the groom’s family as a condition of marriage.
And if one refuses to give it then there could be two possibilities : firstly that the marriage would be canceled and secondly the bride would face domestic violence and would be assaulted by the groom’s family and relatives.
Dowry prohibition act 1961
Due to the increased cases of dowry, the government came up with a law- The Dowry Prohibition Act 1961 which has criminalized dowry in India and penalizes any act of dowry. And also states that the taking and giving of dowry both are crimes. The Government also added section 498 A in the Indian Penal code which states that the husband or any relative of the husband would be punished in case of any harassment against the women and would be imprisoned for a term which may extend to 3 years. Although this section has been misused on a large scale by women and has shown the loopholes in it.
But here we are majorly focusing on the domestic violence which women have to face in totality due to such reasons.
Way Forward
Value Education
Our girls need to be educated and most importantly they need to be taught value education. The important value to live a respectable life needs to be taught to women and to make them a better and responsible human being and citizen of this country and for their well being.
Fight Dowry
Indian families need to be taught that dowry is a social evil which destroys the life of many families. It should be considered a social stigma and people should be made conscious about its ill effects.
Domestic violence Helpline
The domestic violence helpline should be used in times of emergency. It is a toll free number which provides help to the victims of domestic violence.
Non government organizations(NGO)
There are many NGOs which work for domestic violence survivors .These NGOs help in providing legal aid and assistance and help us in every possible way.
Conclusion
Domestic violence is definitely a barrier to the growth of this society not only for women but the whole society suffers from it. Women need to be respected and valued and not to be beaten just for financial, social and cultural reasons. They too have a role to play in the society therefore they should not be just constrained in the clutches of their households and not given any chances. They are equally responsible citizens of the country so we need to give them that stage to prove themselves rather than just discriminating against them. We need to stand for them and they should stand for themselves too then only we’ll be able to get through this.
FAQ- Domestic violence and Dowry System
What is domestic violence?
It is a form of violence which includes sexual abuse , verbal abuse, emotional abuse etc.
Any two steps taken by the Indian government to stop dowry.
The Dowry Prohibition Act 1961 and inclusion of sec 498 A in IPC.
