By: Shahnaza Bano
Abu Huraira (RA) reported: The Prophet (S.A.W) said, ‘’whoever marries a woman on the condition of dowry he does not intend to pay to her, He is an adulterer. Whoever takes on a debt he does not intend to pay back to its owner, he is a thief.” (Source: Musnad-al-Bazzar 8721)
Dowry is a social evil that has caused unimaginable tortures and crimes towards women. The evil has taken lives of women from all stratas of society – be it poor, middle class or the rich. However it is the poor who succumb and fall prey to it, more due to their lack of awareness and education. It is because of the dowry system, that daughters are not valued as much as the sons as daughters are considered as liability.
Even when we have numerous laws and reforms, not only to eradicate the dowry system but also to uplift the status of the girl child by bringing in many schemes, the ground situation remains grim and bleak. It is now for the society at large to become aware and understand the situation and take active steps in bringing about the necessary change by starting with saying no to dowry. We must know that once we start valuing our daughters, others too shall follow and shall start treating them at par with their male counterparts.
We come across news of domestic violence and suicides nearly every day and mere registration of cases and FIR’s will not help when society seems to have blindfolded itself to this crime that is happening in our homes and in our vicinities. It is the collection responsibility of us all to take active measures to not only eradicate the menace of dowry that is leading to this pathetic condition of womenfolk but also to eradicate uproot such mentality at all cost.
Though the phenomenon might seem difficult to address, there are certain measures that might help in resolving this issue and these include educating daughters, encouraging them to have their own career, teaching them to be independent and responsible, treat them equally without any discrimination and discouraging the practice of giving or taking dowry among male folks.
Hence education and independence is one powerful and valuable gift that you can give your daughter. This will in turn help her to be financially sound and be a contributing member of the family, giving her respect and right status in the family. So providing your daughter with a solid education and encouraging her to pursue a career of her choice is the best thing any parent can ever give their daughters.
In India, the dowry system affects 5 out of 10 families. Although the government has enacted numerous regulations, the practice of dowry continues to exist in our society. As a result, we all must begin taking action to combat it. Starting from our own homes is the first step. At home, both boys and girls should be treated similarly and given equal opportunity. Both of them should be educated and given the freedom to be completely self-sufficient.
The writer is Student of B.A 5th semester GDC Sopore.
