Prestige of Dowry

“NO! PLEASE… I want to stay with my husband… Oh… Please don’t do this to me for the sake of my kids… They won’t be able to stay without their father … PLEASE stop…” She was screaming out loud, begging helplessly, her little ones ( a baby girl and a 3 years old boy) were watching everything with an astonishment in their eyes not knowing what was happening and why their mother was weeping. A middle aged lady was dragging that poor soul out from her room through the TV lounge towards the main door of the house. Everyone else including her husband was standing silently, unresisting and with frowned face.

The fault of the girl was just that she and her parents were unable to fulfil the demand of bringing a car for the boy (her husband) in “Jahez” (dowry). The parents of the girl gave her all other things the boy’s family asked for, but due to shortage of money girl’s father promised to give the car in coming years. It had been 5 years since the girl and her family was suffering from this nuisance. The family of the boy was threatening them that the boy would otherwise divorce the girl. The girl had been sent to her parents’ house so many times tortured, injured and vitiated. Her father couldn’t do anything fearing from the societal taboos. Her mother being a woman herself could only cry over her daughter’s pitiable condition.

The story told above and many such incidents taking place in our society in which women are being bullied, humiliated, oppressed, abused and harassed are very common. Why do all this happen? Why do people play with the emotions and feelings of others? Why a woman has to sacrifice herself? Why always a girl’s family has to suffer? Why our society is so harsh, intemperate, rigorous and brutal towards women?