Farida being seriously injured got admitted at the Bonpara Upazila Health Complex of Natore district. Newly married Farida was seven month pregnant. But she had her miscarriage due to physical torture by her husband Latif, He beat her with bamboo stick after failing to collect dowry money. Farida's father gave several thousand taka after their marriage as dowry. Recently he again demanded two lack taka for business purpose. Kalam beat his wife as she refused to comply with his demand.

This incident is not an isolated one. Dowry is a curse in our social life. The word dowry means any wealth in cash or kind, taken by the son in law from the side of the bride at the time of marriage or afterwards. Recently the practice of giving and taking dowry in marriage has become a common system in our society, sometimes in different names.

Dowry stands as the main obstacle to the marriage of adult girls. In our Country many parents of the brides are so poor that they can hardly keep their words, which they give before marrying off their daughters and they cannot fulfill the demand of dowry.

We observe how many a newly married wife is inhumanly tortured and in many cases she is brutally killed by her greedy husband for dowry. As per data from Women Affairs Department, the yearly persecution of women cases stands more than three thousand. Most of them are dowry related.

Dowry cases are increasing day by day at an alarming rate in our country and the situation of insecurity of women in Bangladesh has created a global concern. So, the Dowry Restrant Act 1980 should be implemented more effectively. Dowry is an illegal and unjustified demand and discrimination against our women. Dowry is contradictory to the holy Quran and sunnah. In the holy Quran Islam has given women a very prestigious position and it is the religion of Islam, which upholds the dignity, of women by giving them 'mohorana' and rights to their parents and husband's property.

Dowry has decreased the dignity of women and degraded their position in society. But women's human rights and basic freedom have been incorporated in the constitution. Article 28 (2) states, 'women shall have equal rights with men in all spheres of the state and of public life. If dowry is eradicated, offence in the society will be reduced. However, awareness building to raise increase moral values among all is most necessary to eliminate the social curse of dowry from the society.

Secondly, poverty reduction, education and employment opportunity are very necessary for women to stand on their own to establish rights and protect their dignity and to protest against any form of discrimination, mainly these three things can help to change the lot of the distressed and oppressed women of our society.

Under the above circumstances, a social movement against dowry should be declared without any delay co-operation with the local administration, local leaders, teachers, elite. Imams of mosques educated youths, journalists may take leadership and contribute a lot in the social movement playing the pioneer role. The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs should take an anti-dowry project immediately to co-ordinate the anti-dowry social movement.

This project will go a long way to facilitate gender equality and will help women empowerment reducing discrimination against women in the country, which will no doubt help to implement the PRSP and will reflect a positive impact in the field of women development in our society.

(PID-UNICEF Feature)