Rina’s marriage problems began two days before her wedding, when her fiance’s parents demanded gold and a car. Her parents agreed to part of the demands to ensure the planned marriage went ahead. But the 27-year-old Indian woman’s marriage to a man in Melbourne would last just eight months, as abusive behavior by her husband and new in-laws escalated. Dowries — where the bride’s parents are forced to give valuable gifts to the husband’s parents — have been officially banned for decades in India. But dowry traditions continue to live on throughout South Asia and in the Middle East. To what extent remains unknown. The Senate inquiry into Dowry and Dowry Abuse was asked to report on the prevalence of dowry in Australia. But its final report, published last month, says there is insufficient data to do so, with the available evidence on dowry abuse “largely anecdotal”. The inquiry decided not to recommend a specific law against dowry. It has instead recommended that “economic abuse” be included as a form of family violence in the Family Law Act, and that dowry abuse be included in a “non-exhaustive list” of examples of economic abuse.
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