Emerging issues for international family law: Part 3: Transnational marriage abandonment and the dowry question

This article is the last in the series of three articles on transnational marriage abandonment. It will consider the particular problem of dowry in transnational marriages which has implications for cases arising from abandonment in particular, and more broadly for cases of domestic violence and in financial settlements upon divorce in (international) family law. This article examines the meaning and nature of the practice of dowry and the contexts in which dowry is practiced in South Asia and in South Asian communities in the UK, as well as the implications of dowry for legal practice in England & Wales. The particular, the implications of dowry in transnational marriage abandonment will be scrutinised. Reflecting on the themes and issues emerging from the series, a set of recommendations in relation to gaps in current practice as well as risk indicators and recommendations to foster a more effective practice will be presented.