Redefine Success

Dowry Violence and Child-Bride Mortality in South Asia: Annual Death Estimates in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Global Context

My heart cries for my people and me. As a child bride, I’ve experienced death in many ways. My oldest became suicidal due to an imagination that was conjured and was uncontrollable by my family. My husband held no fault of his own. He who should have remained unnamed for the protection of my in-laws and my husband’s family. One day, you’ll meet them, world, but not now. I’ve suffered greatly in my 37 years of life. My gorgeous children suffered greatly, and my mother-in-law attempted to kill my family many times. Not because of dowry, but it was because of a dowry. I met my mother-in-law at 7 years old through the foster care system. She loved me so, but she lost me after a death in Brazil. She left the country to go to a funeral, and she was not able to get me back. The state wanted her to take classes to be a therapeutic foster mom, but she didn’t have time. She ran a bridal shop, and my Mami and Papi couldn’t afford the time to take off work with the recent death of my Papi’s family. My Papi is a descendant of the Yanomami Tribe in Brazil before the colonization. His European ancestors were Portuguese, and they married into the Yanomami chiefdom. What a gorgeous history to know the ancestors to pray to. My Mami, of course, is Taino based on her French/Spanish descent of the Dominican Republic, or St. Dominique before the French/Spanish divide. The war is over, and we are one once more, very much like the Asians with three dynasties who divided into different countries. Population control and kingdom structures always allow for more countries.

Before the arrival of the Portuguese in 1500, Brazil was home to hundreds of Indigenous ethnic groups with diverse languages and cultures.

Some of the largest and most well-known groups included:

• Tupi people – One of the dominant groups along Brazil’s Atlantic coast when Europeans arrived.

• Guarani people – A major Indigenous group still living across Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.

• Yanomami – An Indigenous population living in the Amazon rainforest of northern Brazil and Venezuela.

• Kayapo – A well-known Amazonian people known for environmental activism.

Anthropologists estimate that 2–5 million Indigenous people lived in Brazil before European contact, belonging to over 1,000 different tribes (Hemming, 1978).

The colonization wasn’t to kill. It was to bring people together. There was a Tower of Babel spread across the world. The globe needed healing, and the answers were colonization throughout. It wasn’t the travel of the Bible. There are many codices, gospels, and ancient religious texts, and the Americas, along with Africa, had many tribes accounting for more than 2,000 throughout the world. God, the creator, or Elohim, killed many civilizations for the harshness of the chiefdoms. Pharaohs were seen as the gods, and we now know many deities who should all be revered now, but not then. This is a freedom cry for everyone. We need to understand human behaviors and the historical events of their times to know why they became demon gods and goddesses. My reincarnation was a Taino demon goddess. I was 23 years old when the colonizers of Italy and Spain came to colonize Puerto Rico. Good ol’ Christopher Columbus, an Italian settler and colonizer, was great at land exploration, and explored the New World as a flat earth. Although the Earth is not flat, his theory was a Flat Earth theory to express that maps allow gravitational pull, and we would not fall off the map if we travel. It’s so cool to know Papi’s Indian/Hispaniola/Mesoamerica’s heritage.

However, Mami and Papi never stopped fighting for me. When I got adopted and returned from a boarding Catholic School I never went to in Grenada, I was given and granted the opportunity to talk to my Mami again. I hated her foster home. Her biological daughters started to be so mean to me. I didn’t realize the fight for the mom until I grew up and saw my mom and sisters for who they were. They were children who had some people manipulate them into thinking I was a bad kid. That’s right. I was a bad baby goat. This isn’t slang. It’s a conjure of imaginations, or sorcery if you will. I love who we are. We are sorcerers: everyone alive. When scripture or the verse says, suffer not a witch to live, it’s referring to an enchantment. This is a command to ward evil off; it’s our way to exorcise evil out of our country, homes, businesses, families, and bodies. We have a great debt to society, and that’s our trauma. You are supposed to adhere to the gift and the calling that can never be withdrawn. A line of tethering will allow evil, no matter which way you look at it. You can try to ward this evil off, but you will never be able to because trauma is a gift. It’s a life experience to know who you are at this age and in this civilization. Yay, 21st century. What do you need from me? How can I bow down to you in my pursuit of the happiness of others instead of my own?

Although my family is poor, and they cannot afford a dowry, I’ll pay for the dowry to my Mami with my life. Papi always rushed me to ask Mami for help. I’d ask my older sister always. She was my Spanish interpreter and my helper. In essence, she was my Holy Spirit. Extrañé mi tierra. I missed my land. They all understood what I was saying, but this family. This land loved me. That is the land of each one of my new family members in this foster home. I loved them so. They were my beach, my rancha (ranch), and my Salsa parties. Who loved me more? Not my biological family. There was a curse so great on my biological family that I had to get out running. My two oldest cousins died from drug overdoses: Tony in 2003, and Sammy in 2005. The loves of my life have been at different periods of my life. My oldest cousin, Arlene, died in a wheelchair. The fight continued with my Titi Elsie, and she was no one anyone wanted to love or know. There were bear conjurers in my maternal family, and my mom could not exorcise them. I’ve begun to ward evil off by physical means; however, this kind of animal can only be taken out through prayer and through fasting. Imaginations are animals. Genesis 1, in the Torah, calls animals kinds, or the primary enchantment/creation. This is what Narmer (Adam) and Eve were learning: the names of enchantments. I’m sure Narmer, or Adam, did not do it alone.

My link to God was the tierra de una familia of Portuguese, French, and Spanish descent. My father was a Frenchman, Mami would say, without further explanation because history explains this passage or Mami’s parable. Papi raised me in my room, and I would design my Barbie’s home with pillow cases. He raised me, my older sister, and my niece/daughter in interior design. Although for my niece/daughter, Sims was the platform. We graduated from pillow cases.

Now, my people are dying. Where are my child brides? My Mami and Papi fought for me in court and took me out of my adoptive family’s home. My adoptive mom adopted me for money, and my adoptive dad later explained what she did. She was a thief in the night, and I’ve grown apart from her. She was black, and he was white. Not all black people are bad; however, that’s not the point of the story. Point blank, evil persists in all people, whether yellow, green, or purple. After Mami saw the way she treated me, she invited me back to her home. Then, we had a conversation about what I would do in her home.

She said, “In this house, you go to school, and you work.” That’s how I became educated and gainfully employed. She’d drive me to work and school until she gave me my first car. I loved her so. She was my everything. She did things for me she never needed to. I wasn’t her biological child. I was her foster child, and my Mami and Papi were my first foster parents. Papi loved me because Mami loved me. Papi, the protector of Mami, is the love story. I died in foster care and in my failed adoption a million times; however, the times would not allow it to be. I needed to meet different cultures and people along my path of gifts. Some may call them traumas if they don’t understand the solar/polar opposite of what a gift and a calling are. They are life experiences one can never gain in a post-secondary educational system. Mami and Papi paid for my room and board, driving lessons, cars, insurance premiums, gas, lunch, and much more. You don’t understand love until you meet people like Mami and Papi. My older brother was 12 years older than me, and at 8 years old, it would have been inappropriate to marry. However, at 19 and 31, we married at last. That is: 19 + 31  = 50. This was a 5 of justice, but our star was turned downward in a conjure of imaginations. People are very powerful, you know? They can actually control another’s life. Some do it in physical forms, while others pray and sacrifice themselves to various spirits. A fast is a sacrifice to the highest court where the Most High sits. King David said in the book of Psalms, I have said, you are all gods because you are the sons of the Most High. This means, know who you are in the realm of spirits and know whom to worship therein. They say Mami paid my dowry, but she did not. Those expenses were loans, and I’m due to pay the interest. What does that mean, my girls and boys!? When you are married as a child bride, you pay the dowry with your life. It’s my rubric: Prophetess Katherinne has sent you and blessed you to have this knowledge of truths. LOL! I’m Matchmaker Katherinne, La Maestra. Welcome to my gut-spilling blog. This is dedicated to you, families that struggle in marrying because you cannot afford an education for your girls and boys. I aspire to have foster home programs in India (South and North Asia), Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Africa, where they are much needed. The third world countries are mine for the fishing, and the Americas are not excluded. What scars have our tribes left us? What sins have our ancestors committed to cause great poverty? We all run from the crises of our countries. What’s your child bride story? Let’s build a community to know who needs help. Children aren’t the only ones. Parents need help, too. I once had a dream while in Africa that a woman buried two dead children, and another that she just pario! That is, a baby she just gave birth to. It’s scary that the deaths around the world are unrecorded. Below, we have some statistics that are not correct, you all. There are more in history that we’ll never know of. My dreams are premonitions or permissions to see in another’s imagination of truths.

Dowry-related violence is a recognized form of gender-based violence affecting married women and girls, particularly in South Asia. A dowry death refers to the death of a woman resulting from cruelty, harassment, or violence related to dowry demands by a husband or his family. In India, this crime is legally defined under Indian Penal Code Section 304B, which applies when a woman dies under suspicious circumstances within seven years of marriage following dowry harassment (Government of India, 1860/1986).

Although official statistics typically record all married women together, research shows that many victims are young brides or women married as minors (child brides). Because child marriage remains prevalent in parts of South Asia, a significant proportion of dowry-death victims may have been married before age 18 (Parmar et al., 2023; United Nations Population Fund, 2020).

Dowry Deaths in India

Figure 1. Advocacy campaigns and public demonstrations addressing dowry violence and dowry deaths affecting women and young brides in India.

India records the highest number of dowry deaths in the world. National crime statistics published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) show that thousands of women die each year as a result of dowry disputes.

Annual dowry deaths in India (all women)

Year

Reported deaths

2023

~6,156

2022

~6,450

Average recent years

~6,000–7,000 annually

These figures correspond to approximately 17–20 women dying every day due to dowry-related violence (National Crime Records Bureau, 2023; Dandona et al., 2022).

Child-bride victims in India

Research indicates that many dowry deaths occur within the first few years of marriage, and victims frequently fall within the 13–22 age range (Parmar et al., 2023). Because child marriage is still practiced in some regions, a portion of victims were married before the legal age of 18.

Estimated proportion of dowry deaths involving child brides or women married as minors:

20–30%

Estimated annual child-bride victims:

≈ 1,200–2,100 girls per year

Dowry Deaths in Pakistan

4

Figure 2. Women’s rights organizations in Pakistan advocating against dowry violence and harassment.

Dowry-related violence is also documented in Pakistan, where disputes over dowry payments can lead to domestic abuse, murder, or coerced suicide.

Human-rights reports estimate:

≈ 2,000 women die annually in Pakistan due to dowry-related violence (Amnesty International, 2019).

Pakistan also has significant rates of child marriage, particularly in rural areas. Because of this demographic pattern, researchers estimate:

Estimated proportion of victims who were child brides:

15–30%

Estimated annual deaths of child brides:

≈ 300–600 girls

Dowry Deaths in Bangladesh

4

Figure 3. Advocacy efforts in Bangladesh addressing dowry violence and child marriage.

Dowry violence—locally called “joutuk” violence—remains a documented social issue in Bangladesh. Studies report rates of 0.6–2.8 dowry-related deaths per 100,000 women annually (World Health Organization, 2019).

This corresponds to hundreds of deaths per year, many involving young brides.

Estimated annual deaths involving child brides:

≈ 100–300 girls per year

Estimated Global Child-Bride Deaths from Dowry Violence

Dowry deaths are heavily concentrated in South Asia, though similar dowry-related violence has been reported in smaller numbers in other regions.

Region

Total dowry deaths annually

Estimated child-bride victims

India

~6,000–7,000

~1,200–2,100

Pakistan

~2,000

~300–600

Bangladesh

Hundreds–thousands

~100–300

Other countries

Small documented numbers

Unknown

Estimated global total

~8,000–10,000 deaths annually

~1,600–3,000 child-bride victims annually

Data Limitations and Underreporting

Researchers emphasize that dowry-death statistics likely represent underestimates because:

• Many deaths are recorded as suicides, accidents, or kitchen fires rather than dowry crimes.

• Child marriages may be unregistered, making victims difficult to identify in official crime data.

• Some cases are classified simply as domestic violence or homicide rather than dowry-related crimes (Dandona et al., 2022).

Conclusion

Dowry violence remains a significant contributor to female homicide and gender-based violence in South Asia. India records the highest number of dowry deaths, with approximately 6,000–7,000 women killed each year, and an estimated 1,200–2,100 victims being child brides or women married as minors. Pakistan and Bangladesh also experience substantial dowry-related violence, contributing to an estimated 1,600–3,000 child-bride deaths globally each year. These figures highlight the intersection of dowry practices, domestic violence, and child marriage, underscoring the need for stronger legal enforcement and social reform initiatives.

References (APA 7th Edition)

Amnesty International. (2019). Violence against women in Pakistan: Dowry abuse and domestic violence. Amnesty International Publications.

Dandona, R., et al. (2022). Gender-based violence and dowry deaths in India: Analysis of national crime records. The Lancet Global Health, 10(7), e1027–e1036.

Government of India. (1986). Indian Penal Code §304B: Dowry death. (Original law enacted 1860).

National Crime Records Bureau. (2023). Crime in India 2023 statistics. Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

Parmar, P. B., et al. (2023). Pattern of suspicious deaths of married females in South Asia. Journal of Forensic Medicine.

United Nations Population Fund. (2020). Child marriage and gender-based violence in South Asia. UNFPA.

World Health Organization. (2019). Violence against women prevalence estimates. WHO Press.

Hemming, J. (1978). Red gold: The conquest of the Brazilian Indians. Harvard University Press.