Death by Dowry | DESIblitz Special

In South Asia, it is common practice for a bride’s family to present her husband’s family with money and goods when they are married in the form of a dowry.

Deemed as a wedding gift, the attachment to this innocent offering, however, is never quite that straightforward.

Beneath this offering of gifts as a dowry lies an ugly truth.

Brides and brides-to-be find themselves ensnared in a web of deceit, heartache, horror and even death.

Stories of burning brides, suicides and murder are still prevalent in South Asia, even though the Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961 made the giving and receiving of dowry illegal.

The law criminalised demands for dowry and recommended a minimum imprisonment of five years plus a fine equal to the amount of dowry received.

However, dowry continues to be given and received, leading to demands which cannot be met by the bride’s side, resulting in many cases of violence, suicide and ultimately death for the bride.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, 20 women die every day very day from dowry-related violence in India. Based on this figure, an estimated 7,300 women could die this year.

In some cases, fights and altercations can break out between families over the dowry. If these disagreements aren’t resolved, circumstances for the bride can become fatal.

In this video, we explore death by dowry by unveiling real dowry stories.