Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697634116005.pdf (Australia)
Dowry leads to Domestic Abuse and Exploitation Dowries are illegal in India and yet it is st ill happening w it hin t he Indian Sub-Continent community in Aust ralia.

The pract ice of dowry is a major cont ribut or t o abuse of w omen in ou r society.

As Aust ralia's first Indian Sub-Continent crisis and support agency, we are advocat ing t o make dowry illegal.

Please support us in our campaign t o make t his pract ice a crime by signing ou r petition, further det ails on www.
ics.net.au IJ ICSA - Indian Sub-Cont Crisis & Support Agency W icsa_sydney -• zcsa The practice of dowry and the incidence of dowry abuse in AustraliaSubmission 50 - Attachment 2 WHY WE NEED TO BAN THE PRACTICE OF DOWRY IN AUSTRALIA Australia's laws do not recognise dowry, therefore the practice can be legit imately practiced.

As such, Dowry in A ustralia is a significant contributor to domestic abuse, violence and exploitation.
The modern d ay Dowry Dem and Structure has opened up o p portunit ies through Australian m ig rat io n for wider abuse through fraud, extortion and trafficking leaving some young people and their fam ilies w ith t heir lives in ruin.

What Is Dowry?

Dowry is a payment in the form of goods, assets, or mat erials w h ich have a financial o r economical value in marriage, usually g iven to the g room a nd h is family.
Dowry is not a g ift; it is separate and in addition to any o ther wedding g ift; as it is a fundamental part of the agreement of marriage.

The valuables of Dowry b ind an agreem ent from the fami ly receiving the dowry to look after the new member to the family a nd com m it to lifelong matrimony.

The practice of d owry has been illegal in India since 1961, but st ill covertly practiced.
For the lndlan Sub-Continent bride, her Australlan Visa may be Just the beginning of a nightmare Women getting an Australian h usband can often get llttle more than a m arr iage certificat e. It can be the start of regular demands for m o ney a nd valuables from her family to save her m arriage and her rig ht t o st ay in Australia.

Unfortunately many women are abandoned before they receive their pe rmanent res.idency.
This means the ir pe.-m anent resident spouse can move ont o a nother w ife and dowry w ith it, while they battle to even p rovide for them selves.

Recent migration in Australia has seen the sit uatio n reversed In gender.

Nowadays, the groom may pay dowry t o a n Australian w ife, only to become the victim o f abuse and exploitation in m uch the same way.
Dowry Is a maJor contributor to Domestic Abuse, Violence and Exploitation In Sub-Continent Marriages A woman's nightma re can begin from the mom ent the wedding guests have departed and demands begin through her to her fami ly.

Delays o r refusals from her fami ly onsets abuse against the woman as a m echanism to coerce her family t o pay up .

Abuse then escalates to violence that can extend to her child ren in particular daught,ers.
The correlation of abuse and violence w ith dowry is m ost evident in India, w here there is even a specific category of homicide called 'dowry deaths'.

In A ustralia, m any wom en are solely depe ndent on the husb and and his family, t herefore sutter In SIience; feeling t hey have no a lternative.

Dowry Is Illegal In lndla and recoverable In other countries The p ractice of dowry is carried on here in Australia w ith t he comfort of Impunity.
The sam e practice could attract severe penalties In lndla incl uding large fines, even imprisonment.

Regard less of how much families pay in dowry to avoid their child 's marr iage ending, if event ually it still comes to d ivorce proceedings; p ro p erty settlem ents do not take into accou nt the fami ly's dowry contributions.

Other western countries have recovery provisions, but here in Australla we have none.

Our request to the Australlan Government 1.


Acknowledge dowry to exist, its role in m ar riage and means o f identification.

2 Make dowry illegal in Australia, to be consistent w it h laws in other countries.

3.

Dowry in d ivorce and separation proceed ings to be treat ed as separate and in addit io n to g ifts, w ith settlem ents t o properly determi ne rig htful ownership and means of recovery.

4 .
4 .

A pply stric t er regulat ions on the ability to sponsor a future spouse, where receip t of dowry is found to be a facto r in any previous breakd own o f relatio nship , separation or d ivorce.

5.

A llow a search to confirm the m atrimonial/d e facto status o f Australian residents.

Please support us in our campaign to make dowry a crime What YOU can do!

1.

Use the link on our web site to Sign the Petition o n Change.erg 2.
If you or your fam ily have experienced misfortune t h ro ugh dowry dem ands or dowry domestic ab use/ violence, t hen Tell Your Story to the Government through a confidential submissio n 3.

Ask your Local polltlclan to write a letter supporting1 the legislation change 4.
Donate to ICSA' s Domestic V io le nce Program that provides support to vic tims V ia www.lcsa.net.au o r email: info@icsa.net a u IJ ICSA - Indian Sub-Cont Crisis & Support Agency v, icsa_sydney • • zcs The practice of dowry and the incidence of dowry abuse in AustraliaSubmission 50 - Attachment 2 Dowry leads to Domestic Abuse and Exploitation Dowries are illegal in Ind ia and yet it is st ill hap pen ing w ithin the Ind ian Su b- Continent community in Australia.
The practice of dowry is a major contributor to abuse of women in our society.

As Australia's first Indian Sub-Continent crisis and support agency, we are advocating to make dowry illegal.

Please support us in our campaig n to make th is practice a crime by signing our petition, further details on www.lcs.net.au IJ ICSA - Indian Sub-Cont Crisis & Support Agency W icsa_sydney -• zcsa The practice of dowry and the incidence of dowry abuse in AustraliaSubmission 50 - Attachment 2