Dowry

22. Dowry

Dowry is property or money brought by a bride to her husband when they marry. This types of social custom is developed in our society because of gender disparity. It is known to all that female children are considered inferior (নিকৃষ্ট) to male children in our society. So during marriage some greedy people claim (দাবী করে) much wealth or money from the parents of the brides. The poor and illiterate girls are the victims of dowry. If the parents of a bride fail to give dowry, a serious situation arises. Then the bridegroom and his family members start to misbehave with the bride. They neglect her and sometimes torture her. The helpless bride does not get any shelter in her husband’s family. As a result some of the brides are forced to leave their families. Some are divorced by their husbands. Again some of them commit suicide for not bearing torture. Some are killed by their husbands. We get this type of news everyday in the newspapers. Alarmed by dowry our government introduced law against it. But only law can not bring any result. What is more necessary to control it is social awareness. The outlook of the society towards girls should be changed. We have to think that girls are not burden rather they are an asset. Besides, we must be determined that we will never take or give dowry.