Dr. Rakhshinda PerveenDate: 30th & 31st Jan

2002

By:

De Jure

Dowry & Bridal Gift’s Law-Act, 1976•Aggregate Value of Gifts shall not

exceed Rs. 5000/-

•No gift to either party by any person value exceeding Rs. 100

•Obligatory to furnish the List of Dowry to Nikkah Registrar-Muslim Families Laws Ordinance 1961

• Based on the information by Nikkah Registrar Deputy Commissioner to register any complain to a court setup

De Fecto• Dowry related violence cases are mostly registered as

Domestic Disputes

• The details of only three cases of Dowry related violence was provided, two cases in the year 2000 & one in 1997.

• The victims were tortured mentally & physically(Back to Office Report)

• Descendent of patriarchal belt of South Asia

• A Woman-A Medical Doctor-A Public Health Specialist-A teacher of Health Communications-A TV Producer-A Social Activist

Personal Perspective

Pakistan (Profile)•HDI (Rank) 135

•Adult Literacy Rate(%),1999: 45

•Gender Related Development Index GDI (Rank): 115

•Population (Millions)2001: 142.5

•Total Fertility Rate (TFR), 2001: 4.8

•Contraceptive Prevalence rate (CPR)%,2001: 30

•Maternal Mortality rate MMR (Per 100,000 live births): 350

•Infant Mortality rate IMR (Per thousand live births): 85

Provinces-Population

(Millions)Punjab 72.6

Sindh 30

N.W.F.P. 17.6

Balochistan 6.6

Dowry• A form of Culturally sanctioned & Socially

acceptable violence.

• A gift, creating expectation leading to demands & greed.

• An Excuse for denial of inheritance to women

• A support mechanism to help the new couple start a convenient life.

Outcomes• Domestic Violence• Engineered Accidents

•Social Pressure•Status Symbol•Demand•Culture•Social Security

• Unstable Marriage

• Threats• Torture• Divorce• Bride Burning• Stove Death

Second Marriage

• Happiness • Respect• Stability

• Wulvar• Marriage with

– Qurran– Child Boy– Intellectually

Handicapped Person

– Much Older Person

Interventions

Public Sector• Signatory to ICPD &

CEDAW • National Plan of Action• Ban on Wedding

Receptions• Khushali Bank• Ministry Interventions

NGO Sector• Disappointing

SACHET-Pakistan“Promoting Human Development in

Pakistan”1999

• Society for the Advancement of Community, Health, Education & Training (SACHET)

• Multidimensional NGO• Gender cross cutting theme• Program Areas: Health ,Education, Poverty&

Training

AGEHI Resource Center-SACHET

“Engendering Development”2000

• Advocates of Gender, Education & Health Information (AGEHI)

• AGEHI Urdu word bearing Meaning-Awareness, Insight• Advocacy• Information Dissemination• Research

Fight Against Dowry(FAD)

An Advocacy Project of AGEHI Resource Center

AIM• Eradicate(Institution & Practice of) Dowry in Pakistan

Objectives • To investigate and identify perceptions, attitudes, practices,in connection

with Dowry

• To inform primarily youth and students about the issue, economic and psychological hazards of dowry

• To engage mass media in promoting and disseminating of awareness against repercussions of dowry.

• To organize and mobilize students and parents against dowry

• To lobby for policy reform with the various levels of government.

Approach3 Cs

• Communicate-– Dowry as a cause of violence, Consequences

• Challenge– Traditions, Customs, Practices

• Change

Challenges not Conclusions• How Dowry Could be made a high priority agenda to create a

critical mass to combat this institutional violence?

• Are we ready to adopt this extremely critical gender issue as a passion?

• Is our mass media mature enough to advocate and sensitize all stakeholders?

• Do we have any political commitment in this regard and how far our governments are ready to go in this respect?

Thank You