In My Second Name Is Dowry, we learn how members of Southall Black Sisters Support Group experienced violence and abuse due to dowry. They tell us how dowry was used to control their lives. We learn that in India, one woman dies every hour because of the system of dowry. In Africa women are bought for their ‘Bride Price’ and in Britain, hundreds of women are victims of the dowry system. We also learn about how we can change the culture of dowry. In this powerful short film, women give testimonies of how dowries effected and continue to affect their lives.
My Second Name Is Dowry was devised by Meena Patel and created by the SBS Support Group members over a period of 5 weeks. “It’s important to us (SBS) that our clients are given full support for their casework and well-being. The Support Group is part of that structure, a holistic approach to how we work with women and children escaping domestic violence and abuse – the Support Group gives access to our clients to positive experiences that they would never have otherwise. This enables them to build their self-worth, creating long-term friendships and above all learning life skills on how to negotiate life as confident and independent women” Meena Patel.