Increase in Dowry-Related Female Deaths in India Over Nine Years, with 65,000 Women Losing Their Lives

In the ongoing fight against dowry-related abuse in India, the Noida Dowry Death Case serves as a grim reminder of the issue's persistence. Over the years, data from publicly accessible sources has provided valuable insights into the prevalence and geographical distribution of such crimes.

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reports, government statistics, academic research databases, NGO publications focusing on women's rights and violence, and other data sources have been instrumental in tracking dowry-related crimes in India. The data from these sources is compiled annually in the NCRB's "Crime in India" report.

According to the data, the number of dowry death cases has shown a consistent decline from 2014 to 2022. In 2014, there were 8,455 incidents and 8,501 victims, while in 2022, the numbers dropped to 6,450 incidents and 6,516 victims. This trend is further supported by the Flourish charts, which show a fall in the number of dowry death victims from 8,501 in 2014 to 6,516 in 2022.

The Flourish charts also provide valuable insights into the geographical distribution of dowry death crimes. They reveal that certain cities continue to struggle with a high incidence of dowry death cases, such as Patna (3.79), Kanpur (2.97), Lucknow (2.77), Jaipur (1.99), Ghaziabad (1.79), Delhi City (1.63), and Indore (1.37).

Interestingly, the number of victims in dowry-related crimes is slightly higher than the number of reported incidents, suggesting that some crimes involve more than one victim. This underscores the importance of targeted interventions and campaigns in specific areas to combat this crime effectively.

The crime rate of dowry deaths per lakh population was 1.4 in 2014, 1.1 in 2018, and 1.0 in 2022. However, the figures may not reflect the full scale of the issue, as not all deaths may be recorded or reported to the police.

Despite the declining trend, states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar continue to face significant challenges with dowry death cases. The data on dowry deaths serves as a powerful metric for understanding a complex societal issue and enables targeted interventions by identifying high-risk geographical areas and measuring progress over time.

The data is crucial for policymakers, law enforcement agencies, and non-profit organizations to initiate targeted interventions and track the effectiveness of legislative and social campaigns over time. Clean, structured, and ready-to-use datasets related to Year, State, and City-wise Number of Crimes Against Women can be downloaded from Dataful.

The data on dowry deaths transforms cold numbers into a catalyst for change in the ongoing fight to create a society where women are not subjected to violence for material gain. The decline in dowry death cases is a testament to the impact of legal and social efforts, but the fight against dowry-related abuse remains a significant concern in India.