Edn, awareness key to curb dowry: Experts

Experts have said that dowry system is one of the worst evil cultures in the society. They have emphasised the need to enhance the scope for everyone to get proper education to fight this culture. ‘Education and awareness are keys to curb dowry,’ legal experts and rights activists have said while addressing a propgramme in the city. Terming dowry a curse in the society, they said dowry means gifts or payment by a bride’s family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Citing a report by the Ain O Shalish Kendra, they said from January, 2014, to July 140 women in Bangladesh suffered severely in dowry-related violence. Among them, 52 physically harassed, 84 were killed and four committed suicide. They said besides ignorance and lack of proper education among a big segment of people in the society, illiteracy, narrow mentality, negative attitude to the women, dependence on husband in decision making, living on male persons’ income and social corruption are the main causes of dowry. ‘Many people think giving money in their daughters’ marriage is much better than wasting money in education. For dowry system, divorce, committing suicide, mental and physical tortures and the number of broken families are increasing day by day,’ they observed. ‘In the upper class family, dowry is considered as a matter of prestige and reputation,’ they mentioned, adding ‘In most cases, dowry becomes a curse to girls and they become its victims,’ according to a news agency.