00:02My husband grabbed me by my neck, pulled me into the room, locked the door and beat me
00:07badly. Many times I thought I should just end my life. My in-laws would ask me to leave.
00:13My parents asked me to adjust. I had no option and no place to go.
00:21She is 24. We are calling her Krithi, which is not her real name, because she is still
00:27in fear for her life. Over four years of marriage, she was mentally pressured, beaten and sexually
00:33assaulted by her husband. All of it over dowry.
00:40My parents gave them a car, cash, furniture, when I got married. They'd say they wanted
00:45a bigger car.
00:48Dowry in simple terms refers to gifts that the bride's family is expected to give the groom's
00:53family at the time of the wedding and often beyond. Depending on the social
00:57and economic standing of the families, it can range from cash and appliances to gold, cars
01:03and even property. Originally, it was intended to secure the bride's future. Over time, it
01:10has turned into a social obligation and in many cases, coercion.
01:16Krithi ran away from her husband's family and found shelter at Shakti Shalani, an NGO that
01:22supports survivors of gender and sexual violence. At the time, she could not see the pattern.
01:27a common issue for many women who come here seeking help.
01:32Even if the harassment is because of the dowry, the beatings are for dowry, the abuse is for
01:37dowry, they would come and talk about the abuse that is happening. But the core of the reason
01:43why this is happening, very few survivors will be able to decode it and say, you know, I was
01:49harassed and abused because of this. It is that normalized.
01:52Shakti Shalani was started in 1987 by two women whose daughters were burnt to death over dowry
01:59demands. Today, the organization handles nearly a thousand cases a year. Even though the practice
02:05has been banned in India since 1961, activists say it continues to be rampant.
02:11In the 90s, the anti-dowry laws were reformed. But even then, even the legal systems that are in place,
02:21I think deep down, it is the mentality, deep down, it is the social norm to ask for dowry,
02:28to ask for things from a woman's family. As per the official data in 2024, every 90 minutes,
02:36a woman died either by suicide or was killed due to insufficient dowry and dowry harassment.
02:43The scale of the problem became impossible to ignore earlier this year when one case reached
02:49the national headlines. Thusha Sharma, former model and actor, was found dead in her marital home.
02:56Her family alleges she was harassed and killed over dowry demands. Her mother-in-law and husband,
03:02who claim innocence, are in judicial custody. The case is under investigation.
03:09Thusha was very brave, very bold, very vocal. If this could happen to her, it can happen to anyone
03:18now. I am convinced. Thousands have taken to social media to demand justice for her.
03:27To make sure the momentum doesn't fade, some are taking these conversations where they matter most,
03:32into homes and neighbourhoods. In this temple courtyard, women are being guided to recognize
03:38abuse, question it and challenge it. The focus goes beyond the law, towards the inequality inside their
03:45own homes. Women feel scared to step out and complain, as they think they have nowhere to go
03:55after that. We have turned this silence into culture. We have to break this silence. When it comes to the
04:02rights of a woman, she doesn't just have to fight a man, she has to fight the entire society.
04:09That's exactly what Kriti is trying to do. If this practice ends, daughters will not be treated as
04:17burden. They will be treated equal to boys. I want to be independent now. I have suffered a lot. I
04:27want to live
04:27alone. Live the way I want.
