ISLAMABAD, Oct 29: The custom of dowry has become an ever increasing cause of violence against women making this institution a permanent stigma on the face of our society.

This was stated by the chief executive officer of the Society for the Advancement of Community, Health, Education and Training (Sachet), Dr Rakshinda Parveen, while referring to a study conducted by the non-governmental organization here on Tuesday.

The chief executive was speaking to a panel of judges, representing intellectuals, youth, artists, and media, which were invited by the organization to select best posters sketched by the young people on the subject: “Fight Against Dowry”.

Dr Parveen said most of the mishaps related to violence against women, which were probed by Sachet, showed that it was the demand of dowry that later on resulted in battering of newly married women and in certain cases the women were even killed by their in-laws.

She maintained that the situation looked more bleak with the increasing gap between the rich and the poor in the country.

She said that another dismal reality which the organization came across during the study titled “fight against dowry”, was that an overwhelming majority of parents were in favour of the dowry system.

Similarly, people take pride in announcing a long list of accessories included in the dowry, which shows the direction of our society, she added.

Being critical of the role of civil society organizations, which don’t even consider dowry as an area to work with, Dr Parveen said: “It needs an immediate attention on the part of both civil society organizations and donor agencies to seriously work on the issue.”