Fight Over Dowry In Bangladesh

For my last blog post, I decided to skim the posts about Bangladesh on the website Global Voices.  I came across on from last November, which described the story of a woman who had recently gotten married.  Farzana Yasmin, the bride, and Shawkat Ali Khan Hiron, the groom, were married on November 11, 2011, a day many people around the world chose to tie the knot on.  She works for an insurance company, and he is the head master at a government elementary school.  However, luck or good fortune was in store for the new couple.  

Shawkat's parents stated that they wanted several items from Farzana's family as a dowry, including a TV and a refrigerator.  This occurred during the reception after the wedding.  To the surprise of Farzana, Shawkat supported his parents demands.  After only being married for less than a day, the bride divorced her new husband, ignoring her in-laws pleas to try and work out the issue.  Shawkat had posted negative comments about his ex-wife on Facebook and denied asking for a dowry from Farzana's parents, but he was forced to remove the posts after protests.

Before I comment on this story, I should explain what has caused so much anger in the country and over the Internet.  A dowry, according to merriam-webster.com, is "the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to her husband in marriage."  A bride's parents was forced to provide a dowry to the husband's family.  This occurred in various regions throughout the world.  However, this could be a problem for poor families who did not have the money or resources to provide one.  The song "Matchmaker" in the film Fiddler On the Roof has the three oldest daughters singing about getting married.  The oldest one, Tzeitel, tells Chava that "With no dowry, no money, no family background, be glad you got a man!"  A woman would be able to marry a man with wealth, or one that at least be able to easily provide for her, if she had a large enough dowry.  

As mentioned in the post, over the last hundred years, many countries in South Asia have banned the requirement of a dowry for marriage, but the practice still occurs.  Women every year are abused and/or killed by their husbands over a dowry.  This is why Farzana's story has created such a firestorm in the country.  She was strong enough to stand up for herself, and numerous people in Bangladesh have commented on her courageous decision.  Farzana has received a lot of support from people in the news and over social media.

When I first read this story, I did not realize what was so significant about it.  Here in the United States and other developed nations, a woman can easily receive a divorce from her husband.  She has rights and can charge him with a crime if she is abused or threaten with her life.  However, this is not necessarily the case in other countries around the world, like in Bangladesh.

I, like many in the nation, am proud of Farzana for standing her ground and doing what was best for her.  Some of the comments in the blog post state that Farzana is an inspiration for other women who face pressure to provide a dowry and abuse.  I hope that other women are able to follow her example and that women can gain more rights in Bangladesh.

Jenny

Blog Entry - 
Rezwan. (2011, November 15). Bangladesh: A bold protest against dowry. In Global Voices. Retrieved April 17, 2012, from http://globalvoicesonline.org/2011/11/15/bangladesh-a-bold-protest-against-dowry/
Map - http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/bd.htm