Dowry Deaths and Honour Killings

The practice of dowry involves a bride’s family transferring money, property and other goods to a bridegroom, his parents, or his relatives as a condition of the marriage. Although it was originally intended as economic support for a newly married couple dowry violence has developed. This is usually perpetrated by the husband and/or the parents-in-law in a bid to extract more gifts from the bride’s family. Failure to acquiesce to these requests frequently results in physical, mental or sexual violence, or even death. The majority of dowry death homicides involve burning, hanging/strangulation, drowning or poisoning. Another feature of dowry-related crime is abetted suicide where women are encouraged to commit suicide, often by self-immolation with kerosene, or by hanging.

Honour killings refer to a specific form of homicide committed by family members toward a female, ostensibly to protect or restore a family’s “honour”. There has been much debate on the validity of the term “honour” crime, however included under the umbrella of such crimes are domestic violence, female genital mutilation, forced marriage and homicides. Reasons for honour killings of women include loss of virginity outside marriage, pre-marital pregnancy, infidelity, having unapproved relationships, refusing an arranged marriage, asking for a divorce, requesting custody of children after a divorce, leaving the family or marital home.

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