1,257 killed for dowry in six years

A total of 1,257 women were killed in six years for their failure to pay dowry, according to human rights organisation Odhikar, reports bdnews24.com. Two hundred and forty-three women also committed suicide from Jan 2005 to Dec 2010 failing to endure tortures for dowry, says the report published Monday ahead of International Women's Day on Mar 8. Moreover, 348 women fell victim to torture for dowry during this period, says the organisation, which blames male-centric attitude and social inequality for the violence against women. The report said: "Women's rights are not established due to the flaws in the judiciary. Criminals can't be brought under trial for the interference of influential quarters . the influence can be financial or political or both." In past six years, the report says, 526 women fell prey to acid violence and 1,876 women and 1,598 girl children were raped. A total of 216 girls were sexually harassed only in 2010, it added. The report stated that there was no proper enforcement of the Acid Crime (Prevention) Acts 2002, Acid Control Act 2002, Dowry Prohibition Act 1980 and the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. Odhikar says that women are also deprived of justice because of corruption in the police and the lack of sincerity of the police personnel in preserving the evidences. Many rape or torture victims do not go to the court for social stigma, says the report, adding, "The police would have to bring allegations against the accused and preserve the evidences properly."