"Dowries in India"

Rev. Bruce Russell-Jayne
Homily for December 6, 2009

Jill Hofmans, who deserves credit for putting together today’s service, says, “The true intent of the play is to show how St. Nicholas transformed himself into our present day Santa Claus. I hope you can find some of the magic and joy that he brings this holiday season and always.”  This is a sweet thought, but she alsoslipped in some very serious content under the radar.  The play includes one of the historical roots of the St. Nicholas myth and a historical view of the use of dowries in Asian countries.  Both of these ideas have changed considerably over time.

“Traditionally a dowry entitled a woman to be a full member of the husband’s family and allowed her to enter the marital home with her own wealth. It was seen as a substitute for inheritance, offering some security to the wife.   As the play points out, even under the old system there were abuses.  But under the pressures of the cash economy introduced under British colonial rule, the dowry like many of the structures of pre-capitalist India, was profoundly transformed.”

Today “under the burden of heavy land taxes, peasant families are compelled to find cash or lose their land. As a result the dowry increasingly has come to be seen as a vital source of income for the husband’s family.  The old customs of dowry, its meaning as a mark of love for the daughter, has been perverted into dreaded payments on demand that accompany and follow the marriage of a daughter”   Dowries are not just some archaic holdover from the pre-modern world that we in America can right off as something that will surely change when the rest of the world comes up to our standards.  Despite their having been banned in India over 40 years ago, dowries are still very much alive and the consequences for millions of women and girls are worse than ever.

Here is a matter of fact newspaper report from the Times of India.  “Dateline: May 27: Young housewife burnt alive for dowry LUCKNOW: For nineteen-year-old Rinki dreams of a happily married life was never to be.  Barely a month after her marriage, she was allegedly tortured and then set ablaze by her in-laws for dowry in Indiranagar in the small hours of Saturday.  Soon after the marriage, Anil’s father demanded a colour television instead of a black and white one and a motorcycle as well. When Rinki’s mother failed to meet their demands, the teenage housewife was subjected to severe physical torture, allegedly by her husband and mother-in-law... On Saturday morning her mother was informed a kerosene lamp accidentally fell on Rinki and her clothes caught fire.”

“Ranjana Kumari, who runs seven domestic violence refuge centres for women in Delhi, believes up to 70 cases a month are linked to rows over dowry.  ‘Sometimes women are tortured to squeeze more money out of their families and in extreme cases they're killed. Then the husband is free to remarry and get another dowry,’ she said.  This type of murder is often called ‘bride burning’ in India.

Dowries have become such a burden that many families are desperate to avoid having girls.
Even though this is also illegal, pregnant women now determine the sex of the baby and abort the female fetuses.  The 2001 census showed there are just 933 women for every 1,000 men in India.”

There are things that can be done to reduce the incidents of women and children being sold, abused, and killed.  As Unitarian Universalists we can support the UUA’s Holdeen India Project and programs of the UU Service Committee that help women and children in jeopardy. The “UUSC develops partnerships with organized, effective, and transparently run grassroots organizations of people who courageously confront and challenge oppression and inequality.  One such non-profit is Barakat, which is dedicated to improving the well-being of marginalized groups in Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan by increasing access to education and a healthy environment.

In Afghanistan, Barakat's programs help to expand opportunities to girls and women. Their educational efforts include schools and literacy and women's empowerment programs, contributing towards the creation of a society in which men and women regard themselves as equal and treat each other accordingly. UUSC supports Barakat's efforts to raise awareness about human rights and women's rights.  I hold up our own programs, but of course, you can Google to find other organizations working to help the oppressed all over the world.

At this time of year, when we think about helping others in need, and as we try it get a grasp on what it means for the United States to be sending troops and money to Afghanistan and Pakistan, let us learn more about women in the region and what can be done to make their lives better.  And then let’s put our UU values into action and make a difference in someone’s life.  That’s the real meaning of St. Nicholas.