Dowry System in Our Neighbourhood

       

 We are aware of the Dowry system in different communities falling under various faiths here, in India. Earlier, a marriage was exclusively an arranged one with the process of match making used to be an outcome of exclusive effort from the known contacts. Now, this process has changed halfway and thrown wide open to ‘Match making Agencies’ besides the other options. The dowry scenario across Indian borders (neighbouring countries) is running almost on similar lines. There have been some minor alterations from time to time. A minor study of the dowry system in these countries could give us a complete idea of things run there. We have already discussed the menace of dowry in India and, therefore, this time, we are taking up the dowry system around and across our borders. 

Afghanistan 

The dowry system and bride price, both the practices are very common between different tribal and ethnic groups. The two kinds of payments, firstly a ‘mahr’, consisting of livestock, property and money in the form of a ‘bride price’ to woman's family and secondly constitutes of clothing, bedding and household utensils brought by the bride for her husband's home are quite common in marriages here.

Normally, the marriages for daughters are arranged at an early age for dual reason firstly to end economic responsibilities towards the daughters and secondly receive payments from the bridegrooms. Many a Social problems like human trafficking and prostitution network operations also widely contributes to speed up process of the marriages.

 Bangladesh 

A a Muslim majority country but it is widely influenced by the custom of dowry system possibly due to the old Hindu Bengal with recorded official reports of voluminous complaints of bride beating and other abuses. Originally, it was ‘bride price’ called pawn where groom's side makes payment to the bride's parents which gradually got replaced by the dowry called ‘joutuk’.  Whatever, be the ‘bride price’, pawn or ‘Joutuk’ the dowry system and extortion is widely prevalent. Volume of dowries increased gradually with subsequent related "dowry deaths" which are prominently in the form of stabbing or poisoning rather than bride burning as in India. 

Burma

Traditional Burmese folklore considers love to be destiny, as the Hindu god Brahma writes one's destiny in love on a child's brow when he or she is six days old, called ‘na hpuza’.  A Burmese wedding can be religious, secular, simple or extravagant. A marriage traditionally is recognized with or without a ceremony when the man's ‘longvi’ (sarong) is seen hanging from a rail of the house or if the couple eats from the same plate. Dowries are typically unheard of, and arranged marriage is not a custom of the Burmese. Weddings are traditionally avoided during the Buddhist tent which lasts three months from July to October. 

China

Marriages are expensive and like business deals where groom’s family has to arrange costly gifts for the bride’s family. Besides, the dowry, wedding parties and banquets makes marriages more expensive. On finalization of the potential partners the matchmaker(s) are asked to sort out the conflict areas on behalf of the two unknown parties. The date of birth(s) of two, ‘boy and gir’l are matched for future potential predictions and on completion the process for payment begins with ‘bride’s price’ by groom followed by sending cakes, food and religious items to the bride's family.

The two families arrange wedding day and final ritual wherein both, bride and groom become a married couple followed by wedding procession with ‘traditional band’ from bride's home to the groom's home. Grooms bear the cost of the wedding invitation, sweet treats (often pastries), the banquet invitations, and the wedding itself. Wedding banquets are highly elaborate. The bride’s father is responsible for the wedding banquet and the alcohol consumed during both banquets, at the bride’s and groom’s places to ensure every relations and friends to meet all on either side.  Wedding banquets are a gesture of "thanks" and appreciation.

         

An average cost of wedding is very much high with ‘reception’ being the most expensive one. A ‘high value gift to the bride’, with a high cost reception followed by a costly ‘honey moon’, widely contributes to the costly marriages. Wedding are extravagant and categorised into two, the ‘traditional Shinto’ and modern ‘western style’. The couples for both types “miai” and “ren’ai” must be first legally married with well documentation at their local government office for presenting these papers at the ceremony.

The finding of a partner—“miai”, means an ‘arranged marriage’ or arranged introduction whereas the “ren'ai” straightway means the ‘self-selection’. Younger generations, in some cases abandon the formal ways by having a "no host party" for a wedding and the guests comprise of mainly of the couple's friendship circle who pay an attendance fee. The couples are officially married on successful submission of the documents to the city hall registrar for change of status in family registries.

 

Nepal

Dowry, it is generally a banned phenomena but common with increase in related domestic violence for failure to appease the groom’s side, under a general perception of impunity. ‘Madhesi society’ strongly believes dowry and takes it as a right to the groom’s side. The highly educated urban people go for dowry out rightly. This has encouraged preference to male child and abortion of female foetus.

Pakistan

There was a marginal rise in the dowry cases comparatively lesser than other South- Asian countries. Dowry upsurge and lavishness registers a considerable improvement post 1990 due to wide condemnation in accordance with the Islamic teachings and laws. A newly bride still stands at large irrespective of her religious faith. The bride price, called ‘mahr’, and dowry, called ‘jihar, mostly consist of jewelry, clothing, money and other things.

The rural Pakistan has relatively very low to 12% of a household's annual (non-durable goods). The bride maintains the right to control over her parental dowry after marriage rather than the one given by the in-laws. Women prefer to build up dowry out of their own earnings has resulted to current trend of delayed marriages. The arranged marriages among first cousins are common and keeps dowries within the extended families. Dowry related deaths, the "stove deaths" as accidents by setting brides on fire. Around 3,379 dowry deaths in addition to 8,041 women killed over various types of property disputes during 2004 - 2009.

 

 The Government has passed several laws to address the problem of excessive dowry demands namely West Pakistan Dowry (Prohibition of Display) Act, 1967 and Dowry and Bridal Gifts (Restriction) Act, 1976. Women's rights to inheritance separate from the dowry are offered some protection in the Muslim Personal Law of ‘Shariat’ of 1948 and the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance of 1961.

The scene discussed above broadly explains to us that the existing situation in these countries is almost similar to our’s here. Let us be sanguine that the day is not far away to see enough safeguards with ample protective measures ensured to the married couples, especially the brides of these lands.