Dowry deaths: a neglected public health issue in India

SummaryThis paper appraises the public health burden of mortality in India caused by the practice of dowry and examines the association of some demographic and socio-economic factors with dowry deaths and dowry-related suicides. The paper is based on the data available on the public domains of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), third National Family Health and Survey-2005-06, Planning Commission of India and Census of India 2001. In 2007, the total number of dowry deaths and dowry-related suicides reported in India were 8093 and 3148, respectively. There was a 74% increase in dowry-related deaths from1995 to 2007, while there was a 31% increase in the reporting of dowry-related suicides. Occurrence of dowry deaths has significant association with some demographic and socio-economic variables. The data reveal that the status of women is undesirable, and the burden of mortality and related morbidity is enormous. There should be a national injury surveillance system and reliable estimates of dowry-related homicides. However, available information can be used to design and implement some counter-measures to prevent dowry-related violence and deaths. The study warrants the undertaking of research to give insights into circumstances and triggers of such violence, the healthcare seeking of these victims, bottlenecks in seeking health care and reporting to the police.