WUNRN
Women's Feature Service
India - Saving Trans-Border Brides Abandoned in "Holiday Marriages" to Non-Resident Indian Men
By Lavanya
Regunathan Fischer and Devadatt Kamat
London (Women’s
Feature Service) – The phenomenon of “holiday brides”, mostly poor unsuspecting
India women who are married off to Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) only to be
abandoned by their ‘grooms’ even before they can settle into their new lives,
has been growing steadily. This concern, however, has been long recognised. In
2008, the India National Commission for Women (NCW) reiterated that the issue
of women trapped in fraudulent marriages has assumed ‘alarming’ dimensions. The
NCW has also brought out a book, ‘Abandoned Indian Women Trapped in NRI
Marriages - The Way Out’, which suggested remedial measures.
The case of Kiranjeet Ahluwalia in the
prone to. The
But nothing much
seems to have changed. Every year, different sources ranging from the Ministry
of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) and the NCW to the media report steadily
increasing numbers. In fact, according to 2008 media reports, attributed to the
MOIA, 20,000 abandoned wives are officially recorded as abandoned as a result
of such marriages.
With their remarriage
prospects being virtually non-existent and their families left bankrupt because
of the high dowries they have had to pay defrauding ‘grooms’, these women are
often forced to either live with their families or depend on relatives for
their subsistence in the towns or villages of their birth.
The
At first glance, such
a state policy may not seem to have any relation to women in
But these are all
post facto measures. More immediate and pertinent questions that need to be
answered. How, for example, can women ensure that they do not fall prey to this
form of abuse? And, if they do end up in such unfortunate situations, how will
they be able to access measures of recourse? One of the ways in which the
government is proposing to do this is to raise awareness on the issues involved
for those seeking to marry persons living abroad. Through booklets and other means,
such information will be made available in the vernacular for rural readers. Of
course, it is anybody’s guess as to who would actually read these booklets.
Perhaps it would be more useful if, along with the various immigration
documents made available to departing brides, a simple pamphlet is provided
detailing the problem and listing emergency numbers or addresses that can be
accessed. This may prove handy should any of them find themselves abandoned
under foreign jurisdictions.
Dynamic and multi-pronged
approaches are important when it comes to issues that transcend international
borders, and the system of checks and balances needs to be continually
fine-tuned. Unfortunately, there are currently no internationally accepted
checks for diasporic marriages. One of the arguments against too much
regulation is that it would place unnecessary restrictions on marriages that
are healthy and safe, as the majority are.
But while we
certainly should not create procedural headaches for the law abiding, we also
need to provide succour from within the country to those who travel out and end
up in intractable personal situations. This is in the interests of ensuring the
safety and security of Indian citizens who can realistically hope that the
country of their birth would protect their interests. In an increasingly
globalised world, the responsibility of the government to ensure adequate
protection for its population, whatever the inherent challenges, are of immediate
importance.
The recent passing of
the compulsory registration of marriage bill in the Rajya Sabha is an effort to
find a workable solution to this problem and it might prove a significant
check, since it at least allows such cases to be tracked. The good thing about
this Bill is that it makes registration compulsory, even for marriages across
religions. Some civil society groups have expressed doubt as to whether it will
indeed make a difference since conservative families or communities may choose
not to disclose abandonment, if it were to happen. They also point out that
there are no incentives or disincentives with regard to registration in this
law. But despite its shortcoming, it could be seen as a step in the right
direction.