CRITICAL STUDY OF DOWRY DEATH IN INDIA

Abstract

In India dowry refers to a property or any valuable security that is given or agreed to be given by one party within a marriage to another party. In India, the part who agreed to give dowry is mainly the parents of a girl to the groom's family. Taking dowry is itself a crime and prohibited as per the “Dowry act 1961”. However, as per this research, it has been found that the act, which is imposed in this country for the prohibition of dowry, was failed due to various limitations within it. Dowry death is a major social issue, where a bride commitssuicide or being killed by their husbands due to their intolerable demand and abusive behaviour. The main aim of this research is to analyse the current state of the dowry system in India and determine the effectiveness of existing legislation in preventing dowry death.

As per the literature findings, the major reason behind the dowry death issues within India is the lack of awareness regarding the legislation associated with girls’ education and job opportunities.   As per the literature, decreasing rate of dowry deaths in India is mainly caused by regular amendment of legislative structure to seek proper justice.  A secondary thematic analysis has been endured in this research to identify various effects of the dowry system, main causes as well as gaps in legislative structure. As per the findings, itcan be stated that proper education and empowerment in India can reduce the tendency of dowry deaths and make women confident to protest.