Legislation should be so made that women get rights over the dowry as well the wedding gifts, the chairperson of the State Women’s Commission (SWC), M. C. Josephine said.
Women should also be aware that they have a right over the money and gifts that their parents are providing at the time of marriage. Even though dowry is prohibited by law, society continues to keep it alive, albeit in various other names.
The Women’s Commission will organise awareness campaigns against this, Ms. Josephine said.
She was talking to media persons here on Friday after the mega adalat.
She said that one of the most common complaints regarding dowry issues before the SWC seems to be that the husband’s family is taking possession of the money and gold ornaments given to the bride by her parents. This is most often then used for other requirements in the husband’s family.
When marital issues crop up, these women find that they have no financial security at all, Ms. Josephine pointed out.
Legislative measures
Which is why legislative measures should be adopted to enable women to have rights over the monetary gifts and gold she receives at the time of her wedding, she added.
Member of the Commission, M. S. Thara, said that many parents of the new generation children seem to be either indirectly encouraging or covering up their children’s wrongdoings.
Of the 210 cases which were considered in the adalat, 47 were settled and 10 set aside for counselling/reports and the rest set aside for the next adalat.
