Internet in support against Dowry: UN WOMEN
Dowry is a practice of giving gifts to the bride and the groom’s family, and apparently it seems like a harmless exercise.
After all, who does not want to give something to their daughter but this ‘something’ assumes new meaning when the groom’s parents start demanding dowry at the time of marriage. Sometimes these demands include giving jewellery, heavy cash or even expensive cars. It does not make any difference to affluent class but those who cannot afford it, have to face a lot of difficulties. Sometimes girls stay unmarried simply because their poor parents cannot give dowry; sometimes, out of pressure, people go into debts and sometimes girls, out of frustration, resort to extreme measures like suicide. According to statistics, Pakistan has the highest reported number of dowry death rates per 100,000 women in the world.
If one goes deeper, one finds that dowry is a social menace. This evil system is firmly rooted in our culture.
A majority of Pakistanis believe that dowry plays crucial role in marriage, while some believe that it is not possible for a girl to get married without a dowry. A survey in 2017 by Gallup Pakistan showed that 56 per cent of the population expects the girl to bring dowry to marriage.
Pakistani Celebrities also came to support Ban Dowry
But now, finally, there is a sigh of relief for the parents and girls. Recently, a law has been passed in the country to ban dowry. The groom’s family can no longer demand dowry from the bride’s family. According to the bill, the maximum amount to be given to the bride as her dowry will be no more than four tola gold. The allowed dowry will be just
clothes (for the bride only) and bed sheets only. Also, guests arriving at
the marriage ceremony will be banned from giving gifts costing more than PKR 1,000.
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