Death by Dowry — Why Women Are Being Victimised in The Race to Find a Suitable Boy
Vismaya’s death-by-dowry and what we, as a society, need to learn from it
When 24-year-old Vismaya Nair, from Kerala in India, got married, she had the world at her feet. The young, vivacious woman was close to finishing her Bachelors in Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery, or training to be a doctor in plain-speak. And she was going to marry the man her parents chose for her, one that she liked too. Nothing could be more perfect.
But very rarely is real life a fairy tale.
Last week, Vismaya was found hanging in suspicious circumstances in her husband’s home. And as the media got wind of it, the story started to hit national headlines because it was appeared to be yet another case of that all-too-familiar crime — death by dowry.
Dowry — A 21st Century Social Malady
Dowry is an ancient system that continues to this day in India and some other parts of the world particularly South East Asia, parts of the Middle East, and North Africa. Parents transfer property, gold, or money to a prospective groom in exchange for marrying their daughter to him.
It is seen as fair compensation for the way the husband will financially support the daughter during the course of…