Editorial
The curse of dowry lives on
No place for such inhumanity in our society
THE report in yesterday's Daily Star of a young girl whose life was shattered when her parents were unable to fulfill the demand for dowry from her husband's family has left us shocked and stunned.
Not only is the demand for dowry one that is still far too prevalent in our society, but the fact that some families will inflict such cruel injury on newly-weds whose parents are unable to meet their dowry demands is something that we must have zero tolerance for.
In the present instance, the young girl who was the victim had both her hands blown off, lost an eye, and has suffered injury all over her body due to a blast. All the evidence suggests that this atrocity was inflicted on her as a result of failing to meet her husband's family's dowry demands.
The viciousness of the attack should shock the conscience of everyone. This kind of stomach-churning violence is a most serious crime and those who are responsible must be bought to book. The cold-blooded, premeditated aspect of the crime and the fact that it was an act of petty vengeance makes it all the worse.
This kind of violence against newly-wed young women must be stamped out. In the first place, the demand for dowry itself is a backward, anti-women anachronism, that we need to do a better job of eliminating. That is point one.
But that some people evidently believe that it is acceptable to commit horrific violence if their demands are not met speaks of something very sick in our society. Those who commit such crimes are no different from extortionists or armed hijackers who steal money and commit mayhem at the point of a gun. They need to considered as such by society and the law should punish them in the same way.
Too often, as was the case here, the community does not do nearly enough to either protect young women from dowry-related oppression or to condemn those who are guilty of such a horrendous crime. We are thus all liable, and the collective responsibility for ensuring that such barbarism becomes a thing of the past falls on all of us. We cannot let such brutality continue unchecked.
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