Political Quotes

“in the capital city of India, a woman is burned to death every 12 hours. Earlier this week, NPR reported the story of a courageous survivor of a phenomenon that is commonly referred to as ``dowry deaths.'' Joti Dowan was held prisoner by her husband and mother-in-law for two years because she refused to ask her mother for a $1,000 dowry. Locked in a tiny room, isolated from friends and family, and rationed only two pieces of bread a day, Joti weighed only 55 pounds when authorities found her. Frequent beatings and malnutrition left her too weak to stand without help. A long scar covers her arm because, at one point during her torture, her husband and his family tried to kill her by dousing her with kerosene. It was only because they feared her screams would alert the neighbors that they extinguished the fire. Shelanie Agerwall was shot and killed by her husband when he became dissatisfied with the new car that originally came with her dowry. He traded in the vehicle for a more expensive one and demanded his wife's family compensate him for the extra cost. When Shelanie Agerwall's family did not pay him quickly enough, he murdered her. Death resulting from dowry disputes are on the rise. In 1998, 12,600 women in India were victims of dowry deaths--a 15 percent increase from the previous year. Burning a woman to death is the most common form of dowry death. Commonly referred to as ``bride burning,'' women are doused with kerosene and lit on fire.”