2 August 2008
No bride price
 |
|
Having taken advice from the ADP’s gender and development committee, Selim and Usha married without a dowry
|
Selim is a young man living in Sariakandi Area Development Programme (ADP). When Selim got to marrying age, his parents expected to receive a good deal of money and assets as a dowry from the family of his wife-to-be. But Usha, the girl he was expected to marry, is educated and well aware of the problems the dowry system creates – in Bangladesh it is the young bride who suffers if a dowry is not paid. There have been cases of young brides being beaten or even killed if their families can not pay the expected dowry.
Usha was happy to agree to the marriage proposal without a dowry, but Selim and his family were not so keen.
Sariakandi ADP has a gender and development taskforce committee, which focuses on educating young men and women and their families about the negative effects of the dowry system. The goal is to make the community aware of women’s rights and give women a voice.
The gender and development taskforce committee approached Selim and his family. They discussed the societal problems associated with having to pay a dowry.
As a result, Selim’s family have recognised that it will take a commitment from every family to end the violence associated with the dowry system. The two families have now agreed to support Selim and Usha in their marriage, without a dowry.
|
