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Dowry:. A Socio-Cultural Perspective from. Pakistan. DOWRY. By:. Dr. Rakhshinda Perveen. Date: 30th & 31st Jan 2002. DOWRY. De Jure Dowry & Bridal Gift’s Law-Act, 1976. Aggregate Value of Gifts shall not exceed Rs. 5000/- No gift to either party by any person value exceeding Rs. 100
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Dowry: A Socio-Cultural Perspective from Pakistan DOWRY By: Dr. Rakhshinda Perveen Date: 30th & 31st Jan 2002
DOWRY De Jure Dowry & Bridal Gift’s Law-Act, 1976 • Aggregate Value of Gifts shall not exceed Rs. 5000/- • No gift to either party by any person value exceeding Rs. 100 • Obligatory to furnish the List of Dowry to Nikkah Registrar-Muslim Families Laws Ordinance 1961 • Based on the information by Nikkah Registrar Deputy Commissioner to register any complain to a court setup
De Fecto DOWRY • Dowry related violence cases are mostly registered as Domestic Disputes • The details of only three cases of Dowry related violence was provided, two cases in the year 2000 & one in 1997. • The victims were tortured mentally & physically (Back to Office Report)
DOWRY Personal Perspective • Descendent of patriarchal belt of South Asia • A Woman-A Medical Doctor-A Public Health Specialist-A teacher of Health Communications-A TV Producer-A Social Activist
DOWRY • HDI (Rank) 135 Pakistan (Profile) • Adult Literacy Rate(%),1999: 45 • Gender Related Development Index GDI (Rank): 115 Pakistan • Population (Millions)2001: 142.5 • Total Fertility Rate (TFR), 2001: 4.8 • Maternal Mortality rate MMR (Per 100,000 live births): 350 • Contraceptive Prevalence rate (CPR)%,2001: 30 • Infant Mortality rate IMR (Per thousand live births): 85
Provinces-Population (Millions) DOWRY Punjab 72.6 Sindh 30 N.W.F.P. 17.6 Balochistan 6.6 Pakistan
DOWRY A form of Culturally sanctioned & Socially acceptable violence. A gift, creating expectation leading to demands & greed. An Excuse for denial of inheritance to women A support mechanism to help the new couple start a convenient life. Dowry Outcomes Domestic Violence Engineered Accidents
Factors Dowry DOWRY • Social Pressure • Status Symbol • Demand • Culture • Social Security Outcomes • Unstable Marriage • Threats • Torture • Divorce • Bride Burning • Stove Death Second Marriage Marriage Compromise Delayed • Wulvar • Marriage with • Qurran • Child Boy • Intellectually Handicapped Person • Much Older Person • Happiness • Respect • Stability No Marriage
Public Sector Signatory to ICPD & CEDAW National Plan of Action Ban on Wedding Receptions Khushali Bank Ministry Interventions NGO Sector Disappointing Interventions DOWRY Pakistan
Society for the Advancement of Community, Health, Education & Training (SACHET) Multidimensional NGO Gender cross cutting theme Program Areas: Health ,Education, Poverty& Training SACHET-Pakistan“Promoting Human Development in Pakistan”1999 DOWRY
Advocates of Gender, Education & Health Information (AGEHI) AGEHI Urdu word bearing Meaning-Awareness, Insight Advocacy Information Dissemination Research AGEHI Resource Center-SACHET“Engendering Development”2000 DOWRY
Fight Against Dowry(FAD)An Advocacy Project of AGEHI Resource Center DOWRY AIM • Eradicate(Institution & Practice of) Dowry in Pakistan Objectives • To investigate and identify perceptions, attitudes, practices,in connection with Dowry • To inform primarily youth and students about the issue, economic and psychological hazards of dowry • To engage mass media in promoting and disseminating of awareness against repercussions of dowry. • To organize and mobilize students and parents against dowry • To lobby for policy reform with the various levels of government.
Approach 3 Cs • Communicate- • Dowry as a cause of violence, Consequences • Challenge • Traditions, Customs, Practices • Change DOWRY
Challenges not Conclusions DOWRY • How Dowry Could be made a high priority agenda to create a critical mass to combat this institutional violence? • Are we ready to adopt this extremely critical gender issue as a passion? • Is our mass media mature enough to advocate and sensitize all stakeholders? • Do we have any political commitment in this regard and how far our governments are ready to go in this respect?