Dowry

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Dowry Silence of Civic Society as Reflected by
the News Papers Media a micro analysis of the
invisibility of dowry as a gender issue in
Pakistanby Dr. Rakhshinda PerveenHon.
Executive Vice President, SACHETFounder
Executive Director-AGEHI Resource Center
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URL www.sachet.org.pk
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ContextGender, Media Pakistan
Media in Pakistan
Dowry
HDI Rank 127
GDI Rank117
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• What is Dowry?
• Implications?
• Micro study

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4
Global Literature Review

• Dowry is a global Issue

• Media is a Key Player

• Country Strategies???

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Salient feature at a glance
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Salient feature at a glance (Continued)
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Consequences of Dowry

• Delayed Marriage

• Unhappy Marriage

Immediate

• Bridal Burning

• Stove Death

• No Marriage

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Consequences of Dowry (Continued)
Gap Between Rich Poor?
Corruption?
High Social Cost
Delayed
Demonstration Effect?
Decay of Moral Values
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Newspapers
The News (English)

• Coverage

Urdu Vs English
The Nation (English)

• Sensitivity

Dawn (English)
Pakistan Observer (English)
Khabrain (Urdu)

• Priority

Nawa I Waqt (Urdu)
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Conclusion

• Dowry Dowry violence continue in the mid of
  silence of the media, NGOs Policy Makers
  other influential civic actors. It is being
  authenticated in the cover of religion, customs,
  traditions community norms. The Newspaper media
  have yet to be familiar with dowry as a
  conventional, pertinent prevailing gender issue
  do justice to the coverage. However, media
  including newspaper media can not raise awareness
  and sensitization on dowry related issues until
  unless the society breaks its muteness

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Conclusion (Continued)

• Scarcity of research on myriad aspects of dowry
  in Pakistan and the visible void between
  researchers and the media are also contributing
  towards the over sighting of an important gender
  issue like dowry.

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Recommendation

• Civic will.
• Specific Suggestions
• Ministry of Women Development Identify the
  social cost of dowry for Pakistani women. Keep
  dowry dowry violence in the field of vision
  while developing designing policy, plans,
  programs projects for gender equality women
  empowerment.

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Recommendation Specific Suggestions (continued)

• Ministry of Education all educational
  institutions should be directed to include topics
  like marriage customs, norms, laws etc. in essay
  writing, speech, drama poetry contests to
  create awareness sensitize the youth on these
  issues.
• Ministry of Health identify the healthy risks
  and cost of dowry-related violence. Project dowry
  as a public health issue.

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Recommendation Specific Suggestions (continued)

• Ministry of Law Justice Review revise Dowry
  Restriction Act 1976. Take measures to facilitate
  the reporting registration of dowry violence as
  a distinct entity.

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Recommendation Specific Suggestions (continued)

• Ministry of Information Media Group
• the ministry of information may issue a directive
  to all the owners and heads of TV and radio
  channels and print media to allocate a special
  space for gender-based violence including
  dowry-related violence
• invest in the training of journalists so that
  they can identify analyze local issues
• Train journalists for reporting presenting
  issues of GBV including dowry.
• Make arrangements for facilitating the access of
  journalists to the relevant research material.
• Promote austerity in marriages, discourage
  dowry,disseminate information about dowry
  violence medical legal aid through all forms
  of media

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Recommendation Specific Suggestions (continued)

• Ministry of Population, NIPS PAP
• conduct exploratory studies to identify the
  influence of dowry practice on son son
  preference, perception of Pakistani youth
  regarding dowry related violence.
• Allocate Resources for capacity building of
  journalists.
• PAP Initiate a scientific journal focused on
  local population issues.
• Initiate a political will and commitment for
  dowry violence and other gender issues with
  population implications by involving
  subsequently educating the parliamentarians.

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THANK YOU
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FIGHT Against DowryAn Advocacy project of AGEHI
Resource Center-SACHET2001

• Television Series
• Recording
• Tentative Transmission in January 2002
• Khawateen Time