Wife Gangraped By Relatives For Dowry: Is This The India We Live In ?

Most parts of the country seem to be untouched by the conversations around feminism taking place in the country. For instance, a man in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur did the unthinkable by allegedly getting his wife gang-raped by his relatives after her family failed to pay him a dowry of Rs 1.5 lakh. He allegedly filmed the video of the gangrape and even uploaded it on a media platform to threaten her further.

He reportedly told her that he could easily get the dowry money by uploading her sexual abuse video on YouTube. The wife has filed a case of sexual abuse against the husband and two of his relatives.

Wife gangraped for dowry

In a statement given by the wife, she alleged that her in-laws had been harassing her for dowry since they got married in 2019. They took the extreme step of allegedly gangraping her, filing the incident, and uploading those videos on YouTube to earn from the same, as per a report.

A shift in the collective mindset of society is needed to ensure that women's rights in marriage are protected. Women should be treated as human beings who have every right to demand and experience marital bliss from their partners and can safely get out of the toxicity if those rights are violated.

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Is a married woman equal to the dowry she brings?

The horrifying incident raises a set of pertinent questions. How can a husband reduce the worth of his wife to the amount of dowry she brings with her? Isn't marriage about love and companionship? How can a relationship, as pious as that of a husband and wife, have its foundation embedded in materialistic possessions? How can a man stoop so low that he jeopardizes the respect, dignity and safety of his own wife in exchange for money? How can he so easily forget the time he vowed to safeguard his wife from troubles and ensured she lives a happily married life?

Though the practice of dowry was declared illegal decades ago, few seem to follow the law. The truth is that dowry still holds a lot of importance in the eyes of the groom's family who feel entitled to it. Unfortunately, the bride's parents also feel obligated to go beyond their financial limits to fulfill their demands with the hope of seeing their daughter live a comfortable life.

It is about time we stop telling daughters to adjust in abusive homes and stop judging women for leaving abusive in-laws and partners. They should instead be praised for walking out of toxic relationships. A shift in the collective mindset of society is needs to ensure women's rights in the marriage are protected. Women should treated as a human beings who have every right to demand and experience marital bliss from their partners and can safely get out of the toxic environment if those rights are violated.

Suggested Reading : Rajasthan Bride Requests Father To Use Dowry Money To Build Girls’ Hostel