Published Paper Details:

Attempts to abolish the practice of dowry by policymakers using legal measures have not found much success and have proved ineffective. The much prevalent dowry menace has led to several inevitable negative consequences. Significant among such consequences is the impact of domestic violence attributed to the practice of dowry on the children within the family. Research studies have established that juvenile exposure to domestic violence is consequential and is associated with increased display of aggressive behaviour, increased emotional complications such as depression and anxiety, lower levels of social competence, and poorer academic performance. Severe parental conflicts interrupt many critical processes of a child's psychological development. As a result, the very nature of the parent-child relationship is disturbed. The turmoil within the family leads to anxiety and emotional distress among children, and in many cases weakening their emotional bonding with the abusive father or the persons responsible for dowry related violence within the family. This paper attempts to highlight the sociological importance of studying the impact of continued domestic violence on the emotional, physical, and cognitive development of children within the families prone to such a phenomenon. The data is from an on-going study of doctoral research work obtained from Mandya district of the state of Karnataka. The paper attempts to call for more rigorous implementation of the anti-dowry and anti-domestic violence legislation. Besides, the paper endeavours to call for specialised services to the affected children and provide them a safe family atmosphere.