Courts of Women

(Naari Adaalat)

The anti – dowry movement in the 1980’s created a ground swell across the nation. Women’s groups voiced their protest against bride burning, and the media support in those years lead to public awareness on violence against women within the family.

The women’s movement broke the silence on domestic violence and organized campaigns to eliminate all forms of violence against women, culminating in the historic passing of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005 (PWDVA).

So, what happened to the Anti – dowry movement?

Over the last three decades, the concerns addressed by the Dowry Prohibition Act 1961, were lost as the legal mechanism to implement the Act was not set in place. The practice of dowry became the norm, even as the focus on domestic violence increased. Our society chose to ignore the prohibition against the giving and taking of dowry, by confusing the “gifts willingly given” with the demand for dowry by threat and coercion.

A flourishing market and consumerism, lead to increasing the demand for dowry in cash and in kind. The pressure to meet the demand for dowry has become synonymous with the ‘burden’ of the birth of a daughter, resulting in a steep decline in the birth of girls. As a result, our society is willing to eliminate daughters, rather than challenge ‘parampara’. The practice of dowry continues to grow and has gone beyond the reach of most families.

To mark the occasion of Human Rights Day, we propose to conduct a ‘Court of Women’ on 8th December 2008 at Bal Bhavan, ITO. This Court is part of the process towards the National level India Court of Women on Dowry and Related forms of Violence against Women proposed to be organised in June 2009 in Bangalore. This Court of Women initiated by Asian Women’s Human Rights Council and Vimochana is being organised by a core group of about 30 organisations from the different states of the country including Action India and Jagori from Delhi. The Courts of Women is a global movement that seeks to relook at rights and other notions of justice from the lives and life visions of women particularly from the cultures and communities of the global south. More than 30 courts have been held all over the world on diverse issues specific to the region in which they have been held.

We want justice. The legal system has failed us. We want the right to live a life of dignity, as equal citizens. We want freedom from the burden of dowry and the retrieval of marriage from the market.

The Women’s Movement in India played a dynamic role in bringing grassroots women out of the four walls of the home, mobilizing a political force to bring about a new culture of collective leadership. Women today are in the forefront changing patriarchal structures, demanding equality and their rightful place in the society and the home.

As you have been integral to the cause and concerns of women we invite you to share your views on the days theme – DOWRY IS HERE TO STAY OR CHANGE IS POSSIBLE.