***Even at the end of the twentieth century most of the women in this country live a life of slaves. The problem is that the victims cannot protest nor fight against their oppressors. They think or are made to believe that everything is written in their fate, so they should tolerate everything.***

CONTRIBUTIONS of women to civilization has not been adequately admitted since beginning till date rather women are being tortured and oppressed in different ways even in these days of women's lib. In Bangladesh violence and torture against women have been increasing day by day. Nowadays a girl child's parents are living under a state of nightmare. thinking about their daughter's security and future. Dowry' is one of the tools of oppression and violence against women.

The system of dowry' is now taking the form of an infectious disease. Receiving and giving dowry has become a part of our culture, despite criticism. For dowry not only men torture women but also other women (mother-in-law. sister-in-law) are also accomplice in the persecution.

Today when the son of even lower middle class parents attains graduation from academy they and their family start calculating the amount of dowry they might get during the time he would get married. The Irony is that a supposed to be enlightened university graduate or a masters degree holder with good established position also feel elated to announce 'My father-in-law has furnished my total Hat." This could happened because of the rich parents ability and practice of giving expensive gifts in their daughter s marriage ceremony. But what of poor parents?

The maximum of boys from affluent, middledam and poor families seem mentally prepared to get dowry from their father-in-law's house. They are

making dowry part of the marriage rituals. But they don't think about the poor father who is living almost hand to mouth and just cannot afford any dowry for his daughter. That father either cannot arrange a bridegroom for his daughter or even if he can get one. his daughter has to tolerate acerbity and physical torture at her husband s nouse. which sometimes lead to her ultimate destination — 'death'.

Sometimes she has to return back to her father's house with divorce from her husband Just because of dowry. And also in her father’s house negligence, deprivation, acidulous remarks of relatives make her life hell as she is looked at as a burden. Some women can not-get married for the whole life only because of dowry. They live a life of extreme negligence and depravation.

But there is also exception. There are few excellently motivated parents who bear an antidowry attitude and also inculcate this Into their children which is a bliss for our society. But this is a picture often seen generally in the urban areas.

The condition of our villages are more pitiable. A daughter's

father has to sell even his last asset to fulfil the demand of dowry. But that's not the end. Demand for dowry from his daughter-in-law's family increases day by day. Here also when the father cannot afford to comply with the increasing demand for dowry, his daughter's life is made horrible and intolerable by oppression and violence. Sometimes the poor woman, victim of dowry, commits suicide, sometimes she becomes mentally imbalanced, and sometimes becomes the victim of murder by her husband's family. Yet there is little effective protestation. Nowadays in our villages a marriage cannot be imagined without dowry.

Misfortune and depression are common features of today's Bangladeshi women. Many a brilliant girl child gets born In this country. But the socio-economic conditions give them neither chance to bloom with their brilliance nor flourish with their personality.

Even at the end of the twentieth century most of the women in this country live a life of slaves. The problem is that the victims cannot protest nor fight against their oppressors. They think or are made to

Ixlieve that everything is written in their fate, so they should tolerate everything. As women in Bangladesh from childhood are deprived of nutrition, education. healthcare etc, so they think themselves as weak, substandard and male (father, husband. son) controlled creatures.

Their appalling condition must be changed. An important measure is to create awareness in every woman about her rights and potentials. The government has passed a law against violence and oppression of women where provision for anti-terrorism is also a part of it. But there should be a separate law as well as its appropriate enforcement against violence to women. The picture can also be changed if giving and receiving dowry is treated as hateful and illegal in practice.

An anti-dowry attitude among all classes of society can bring in a change in the situation. Newspaper, television, radio — all mass media can play an effective role in this regard, besides the legal measures.

Newspapers should not cease publishing bit by bit follow-up of every dowry victim case. Tv and radio should take up an anti-dowry propaganda. Moreover. if anti-dowry story, short play etc are included in the primary school syllabus then it might help to change the atti-tude of mass people

But the patriarchal characteristic of our society belittles seridus issues like dowry which is still increasing the inequalities between men and women day by day. In this case the social. religious and political leaders have a painstaking role to play. Should they?