evidence: According to a 2019 report from the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), law enforcement agencies have made only limited progress in investigating such crimes against women in Kashmir. In 2019, there were 3,069 reported cases of violent crime against women, including rape, sexual assault and domestic violence in Kashmir – although it is not clear how many of these were related to dowry issues – and eight dowry-related deaths. It is believed that the economic hardship brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic has only made the situation worse for women in Kashmir, with anecdotal reports of brides being set alight because their families have not met dowry expectations in the past year.