Dowry deaths in India 25x more than post-rape killings: NCRB
What's the story
The Home Ministry's National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data has revealed that dowry deaths in India are more than 25 times higher than the number of women killed after rape or gangrape. The data (latest) shows that there were 6,516 dowry deaths in 2022, which is 25 times more than sexual assault-related murders. The data surfaced amid an uproar over the murder of Nikki Bhati by her husband and in-laws, allegedly over dowry demand in Greater Noida.
Harassment statistics
One in 3 women harassed for dowry dies
The NCRB also reported 13,641 women as victims of dowry harassment cases in 2022. If this data is taken at face value, it would mean one in three women harassed for dowry ends up dying. However, this figure also highlights the reluctance of victims to approach authorities until it's too late. The slow-moving justice system further complicates matters, with 60,577 dowry death cases pending in courts at the end of 2022. Of this, 54,416 were carried over from earlier years.
Justice system
Less than 2% chance of conviction within a year
The same year, 3,689 trials were completed, but only 33% led to convictions. Among the 6,161 new cases sent for trial that year, only 99 resulted in convictions. This amounts to less than a 2% chance of conviction within a year for victims' families. The data highlights that dowry is one of India's most normalized illegal practices despite being banned under the Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961.
Violence survey
Data on dowry practice
While comprehensive data is limited, evidence has consistently indicated the persistence of dowry practice. The India Human Development Survey (2004-05), published in the book Human Development in India: Challenges for a Society in Transition (2010), discovered that: Families of brides spend 1.5 times more on weddings than grooms'; 24% said they gave things like TVs, refrigerators, vehicles, or motorcycles as dowry; 29% of respondents claimed it was "common" to beat a woman if her family failed to pay dowry demands.