dowry

17 Stories

These Indian Women Married. Then Their Husbands Vanished

Their husbands went overseas without them after taking their vows

(Newser) - For tens of thousands of Indian women, a marriage that seemed too good to be true ended up being exactly that. The New York Times reports on the plight of these women, who marry an Indian man working overseas expecting to then follow him to a better life in countries...

Deaths of 3 Sisters Seen as Example of Dowry Violence

Trio allegedly chose death over continued abuse for payments in India

(Newser) - Three sisters—Kalu, Kamlesh, and Mamta Meena—married brothers in the same family and lived under the same roof near Jaipur, India. Last month, the sisters left a message for family members on WhatsApp: "We don't wish to die, but death is better than their abuse. Our in-laws...

On 2nd Try, He Killed Wife With a Snake
Man Found Guilty
of Killing His Wife
With a Cobra
in case you missed it
Oct 17, 2021 12:00 PM CDT

Man Found Guilty of Killing His Wife With a Cobra

Sooraj Kumar receives rare double life sentence in India

(Newser) - A man convicted of killing his wife by forcing a venomous cobra to bite her has received a rare double life sentence in India. Police determined Sooraj Kumar had twice used snakes in an attempt to kill his 25-year-old wife Uthra, succeeding on the second attempt. Uthra, mother to a...

Huge Dowry, Huge Uproar for Underage Bride

Man in South Sudan hands over 500 cows, plus cash and car for 17-year-old

(Newser) - Five hundred cows, two luxury cars, $10,000, two bikes, a boat, and a few cell phones made up the final price in a heated bidding war for a teenage bride in South Sudan that went viral after the auction was pointed out on Facebook. The government says it's...

Woman Discovers Kidney Was Removed, Accuses Husband

Wife says she thought she was having appendicitis surgery

(Newser) - An Indian man is in police custody after allegedly stealing one of his wife's kidneys to serve as a dowry. When she complained of stomach pain two years ago, Rita Sarkar, 28, says her husband arranged a visit to a private nursing home in Kolkata, where the couple stayed...

Uganda Dumps Refunds on Bride Prices

But grooms still have to pay the bride price to begin with

(Newser) - Uganda's top court today banned the practice of refunding bride price—normally livestock given by the groom to his bride's family—when a marriage ends in divorce. The Supreme Court agreed with activists that the practice undermines the dignity of women but it upheld the practice of paying...

Saudi Man Told to Pony Up iPhone 6 in Order to Marry

Bride's father just wanted cash, but her brother had something else in mind

(Newser) - Before he can marry his fiancee, a Saudi man must provide her with a phone that's not even on the market yet, according to her brother. The brother has set an iPhone 6 as the price of marriage, Gulf News reports, though the would-be bride's father had earlier...

A Woman Killed Over Dowry Every Hour in India

And conviction rate is just 32%

(Newser) - One woman dies every hour in India because of dowry-related crimes, indicating that the country's economic boom has made demands for dowries even more persistent, women's rights activists said yesterday. The National Crime Records Bureau says 8,233 women were killed across India last year because of disputes...

Among India's Rich, Aborting Girls on the Rise

Illegal practice more prevalent among rich with access to ultrasound

(Newser) - India’s preference for male children has spurred the practice of aborting female fetuses, aided and abetted by the widening availability of ultrasound technology. But tests are still expensive, and surveys show that female feticide is much more prevalent in richer areas, an observation born out by skewed gender ratios....

In Rural India, Mr Right Must Have a Toilet

Brides-to-be insist suitors offer indoor plumbing

(Newser) - India's economy may be booming, but 665 million people in the world's second-largest nation have no access to indoor plumbing—not only an inconvenience, but a health hazard that leads to diarrhea, typhoid, and malaria. But these days, newly assertive rural women are insisting that suitors have a toilet before...

Kenyan to Chelsea: Marry Me, Get Free Livestock

Man renews dowry offer first made in 2000

(Newser) - Hoping for Chelsea Clinton’s hand in marriage, a Kenyan man offered a dowry of 40 goats and 20 cows in 2000. Now, he's renewing the offer and America's top diplomat mom has gotten involved: “She's very independent," responded Hillary Clinton, asked about the offer, at a Nairobi...

Saudis to Crack Down After Man Weds 8-Year-Old

Child marriages will be 'regulated'; no evidence they'll be barred

(Newser) - Amid an uproar over an adult man’s marriage to an 8-year-old girl, Saudi Arabia will begin regulating child marriage, the BBC reports. The country’s justice minister wants to end the “arbitrary” process, he said, though he didn’t say such matches would be banned. A court upheld...

Cops Bust Dad Who Married Off Girl, 14, for Beer

Arranged marriage legit in Mexico, but trafficking minors in Calif.

(Newser) - Something got lost in translation when a California man arranged for his 14-year-old daughter to marry an 18-year-old neighbor in exchange for cash, beer, and meat, reports the San Jose Mercury News. When the bridegroom failed to pay the promised $16,000, 160 cases of beer, and six cases...

Saudi Girl, 8, Can't Divorce Husband, 58: Court

Case must wait until girl hits puberty; she still lives with mother

(Newser) - An 8-year-old Saudi girl will remain married to her 58-year-old husband after a court struck down her mother’s request for a divorce, the Daily Mail reports. The hard-up father, who is divorced from the mother, signed a contract in August and received a dowry of about $7,400. The...

More Afghan Families Using Girls to Pay Debt

Farmers hit by crop woes give daughters as 'opium brides'

(Newser) - Besieged by debt, more Afghan farmers are paying lenders by handing over their girls as "loan brides," Newsweek reports. Often taken from their families forever, the girls—some younger than 5 years old—are commonly beaten or pushed to suicide by their fate. "My heart is still...

India Will Pay Families for Daughters

Incentives for raising girls aim to correct skewed sex ratio

(Newser) - India will start handing out cash to families in return for raising daughters, reports AFP. The culture's preference for sons results in sex-selection abortions, which are illegal but have skewed the country's sex ratio. Poor families with girls in states with the worst sex ratios will receive a series of...

Iranian Owes Wife 124K Roses
Iranian Owes Wife 124K Roses
Mar 3, 2008 4:25 PM CST

Iranian Owes Wife 124K Roses

'Stingy' husband needs to make good on dowry

(Newser) - There is something worse than forgetting Valentine's Day—being a tightfisted husband. An Iranian court has ordered a man to immediately send his wife 124,000 roses or risk imprisonment, the BBC reports. The roses were promised to his wife as part of her dowry, which she can legally claim...

17 Stories