BRIDE BUYING IN INDIA
BRIDE BUYING
IN INDIA
WRITTEN BY:
VASHVI SINGH KACWAHA
LL.B. (3RD
YEAR),
MARATHA
VIDYA PRASARAK SAMAJ`S LAAW COLLEGE, NASHIK
EDITED
BY: JAIN DIVYA LALIT
B.L.S.
LL.B. (4TH YEAR),
MGM LAW
COLLEGE,
NAVI
MUMBAI, MAHARASHTRA
ABSTRACT
Bride buying has been a curse
plaguing our society. Though we live in a modern society we are still bound by
various superstitious and evil practices which are demeaning to women The aim
of the article is to make reader aware regarding the evil practice of buying of
the bride in India and how it is disadvantageous and degrading to the dignity
of the women. The article focuses on the reason of bride buying, problems
caused by it, laws drafted by the government and steps needed to reduce this
practice.
KEYWORDS-Marriage, sex ratio, caste,paro ,molki,bride,buying,selling
INTRODUCTION
Marriage is considered a sacrament,
a union of two families and two individuals. It is supposed to give a secure
legal status, respect and assurance to the bride and legitimacy to the children
born during the course of marriage. However, there have been an increasing
number of cases bride buying in states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh,
Rajasthan which has been a blot on the dignity of women. Under Article 51 A it
is the Fundamental duty of every citizen to renounce practices derogatory to
the dignity of women, despite that inhuman and shameful practice of buying and
selling of brides from one state to another exists and has been a thriving
phenomenon. Let's make an attempt to understand the reason for it
1) Low sex ratio-Low sex ratio in states like
Haryana, Rajasthan has been a major reason for buying brides. There is a
significant lack of women, especially for upper caste men like Jats, Rajput,
Ahirs, Yadav, and Brahmins. Rich men can easily locate a local wife within
their caste; but, the caste's disadvantaged men, who are typically destitute
and do not own property, must use alternate techniques to obtain a bride.
According to the 2011 Census, Haryana had the poorest sex ratio in the nation,
with only 830 girls for every 1,000 boys.
2) Poverty stricken parents of the
bride- The brides
which are sold into marriage are from impoverished families. Abject poverty and
inability to pay dowry forces these families to sell their daughters. The
brides are usually bought from states of Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand,
Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh where dowry system is prevalent, thus
parents it easier to sell their daughters for a price. Many times, the parents
are led to believe that their daughters are marrying a wealthy man by middlemen
who lie to the naïve parents and deceive the parents into selling their
daughters. In some areas brides are brought for nearly 50 thousand to 1 lakh
rupees
3)Several middlemen are involved in
this and in rural areas of Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh the brides are
sold for a very high price. These middlemen earn a good degree of commission
and it has evolved into a big business in certain areas.
PROBLEM CAUSED BY THIS SYSTEM
1)A lot of women who are bought and
sold are illiterate and naïve. They are often discriminated within the family
and sexually, emotionally and verbally abused and many of the are unable to
maintain contact with their parents are thus left alone without any support.
2)These brides are referred as
‘Paro’, ‘Molki’ and are usually looked down upon. Though their children get
equal rights, they are usually discriminated for their skin color, accent
3)The focus is on producing male
heir; hence many women are married to men twice their age who already have a
wife.
LAWS AND SCHEMES DRAFTED TO PREVENT
DEGRADATION OF WOMEN
1) Prenatal screening is forbidden
by the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act of 1994, which
was passed by the Indian government. The population would not attain its normal
sex ratio for at least 50 years, even if all discriminatory activities were to
end.
2)Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao-The main
targets of this scheme are Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Delhi.
3)The SWADHAR scheme has been
launched since 2002 to prevent exploitation of vulnerable women.
STEPS TO BE TAKEN
1) A law focusing on the illegal
buying and selling of the buying with special focus on middlemen who should be
punished. There is a need for the criminalization of practice of buying and selling
of brides. The parents, middlemen and in-laws involved should be punished by
law
2)NGO, civil society should make
efforts to work closely with government to reduce this practice. Civil
societies can keep a tab on such areas where this practice is prevalent and
work closely with local authorities.
3)Running campaigns ,Nukkad naatak
and warning campaigns through media.
4)Creating safe houses for women who
are bought and sold and providing them with easy legal and educational aid
CONCLUSION
Bride buying is a derogatory
practice and it should be stopped. It is duty of every citizen to condemn these
practices and report these middlemen if they are aware of them. To lessen these
deep-rooted patriarchal notions and practices, it is necessary to first be
aware of it and efforts should be made to make people aware of such evil
practices. Legal education should be imparted about it and women should be made
aware of their rights and how to approach the authorities.
References
1) https://theprint.in/india/mol-ki-bahuein-the-women-haryanas-men-buy-as-brid
2) Bride buying in India - Wikipedia
3) https://www.roundtableindia.co.in/bride-buying-in-haryana-a-case-study/
4) In Hadauti, brides are available
for Rs 50,000 | Jaipur News - Times of India (indiatimes.com)
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