A Humanitarian Perspective on Gender-biased Laws and Dowry

Oftentimes, we read articles against dowry. I believe that it is a scourge on our society and should be eradicated immediately. However, what is happening in reality is scary. The problem is rapidly expanding: the perpetrators of dowry-related crimes are no longer largely men. Seeking money from men by making false dowry allegations has now become a commonplace. What needs to be understood is that whether money is sought from a woman or from a man, both are two different forms of dowry and are equally harmful to the well being of a family and the society. The need to combat dowry urgently, therefore, is far more today than ever before.
In order to combat dowry effectively, we must realize that the fight against dowry is not the fight of a particular sex against a particular sex, but it is the fight of the entire humanity against the perpetrators of dowry-related crime, which could be men or women. I stress on the fact that it is the fight of the entire humanity against the greedy devils of the society, because no matter which sex committed the crime, the sufferer, whether a woman or a man, undergoes the trauma to the same extent.
If we make it a fight against a particular sex, and not against the actual perpetrators of the crime, the consequences will be very grave. Our laws to contain dowry will be gender-biased. The gender-biased laws will encourage people to develop gender-biased mindset, calling for more gender-biased laws to address that mindset. A vicious cycle will begin and every cycle will be a lot more complicated and difficult-to-handle than the previous one. These gender-biased laws will also be susceptible to be misused, some by men and some by women. Misuse of law brings injustice to the innocent. Injustice is bad not only to an individual but also to the entire society, as it breeds criminality. The example of Phoolan Devi comes readily to the mind.
A law that brings injustice by punishing an innocent is nothing but legal terrorism. And Supreme Court of India rightly called 498A Act legal terrorism, as it is not only being misused against innocent of both the sexes but also torturing the masses. Our society doesn't need gender-biased acts and legal terrorism. All it needs is an end to dowry, no matter whether it is sought from a woman or from a man, and the establishment of harmony and equality between and among the sexes and within families.