Multiethnic Media That Matters

My husband is demanding dowry and is ill-treating me after I moved with him to a foreign country. What should I do?

• First and foremost, you must not come under pressure to accept the demand for dowry or any other unreasonable demand made by or on behalf of your NRI/ PIO husband to end your ill-treatment, abuse or desertion.
• You can approach the nearest Indian Embassy/Consulate for assistance/advice, to file a complaint with the local police about harassment, abandonment, ill-treatment, etc
• The Indian Embassy/Consulate can assist in providing contact details of local NGOs, approach the local police, contact your family/friends, etc. who could help you. 
• The Indian Mission can be contacted for initial legal/financial assistance to file a case against your husband in the foreign country.

Some of the states in the Indian Union have enacted legislations to make marriage registration compulsory; These states are Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. Registration of marriage is optional in other states. 

After you marry the PIO/NRI, you must register the marriage at the office of the Registrar in India before you/your husband leave the country. The marriage certificate issued by the Registrars’ office and a copy of it should be kept with you and your family in India. 

Please keep adequate proof like marriage photographs, wedding invitation, copy of the husbands’ passport driving license, any other ID proof issued by the foreign country, visa address proof of both bride and groom etc.

Please remember the following points

• Marriage registration certificate should be carried at all times. 
• Doing all the paperwork for issue of visa and other required formalities at   2 your end- keep all the original papers with yourself. 
• Affidavit from the spouse stating present marital status. 
•  Visit with a health/comprehensive insurance policy before arriving in the foreign country. 
• Keep your passport with you in the foreign country and at least one copy of the passport.

What are the other precautions one should take before leaving India after marrying to NRI spouses?

• Keep a list of contact details of neighbors, friends, relatives, your husband’s employer in the foreign country, police, ambulance, and the Indian Embassy or High Commission in the country where you are living with your husband.
• Please keep photocopies of all important documents including your passport, visa, bank and property documents, marriage certificate, wedding photos and other essential papers and phone numbers with parents or other trustworthy people in India or abroad. 
•  In case these documents are lost/forcibly taken away /destroyed by your spouse or in-laws, the copies will be useful. If possible, keep a scanned soft copy of these documents with you or/and any person you trust.

1. If your NRI husband has abandoned you in India, you can immediately file a complaint/ FIR under 498A IPC on grounds of cruelty with the police in the local police station in the area where you were abandoned. 
2. Offences committed outside India would be deemed to have been committed within the territory of India by virtue of Section 188 of the Cr. P.C. Therefore, you can lodge a complaint for the same in India
3. If your husband has abandoned you in a foreign country or harasses you in any way, you may approach the local police. You may also immediately contact the following in case of an emergency/to seek assistance in the foreign country:

•  Indian Embassy in the foreign country
• Employer of the husband
•  Local Indian associations and networks of Indian citizens in the area of the residence of your fiancé 
• Friends and relatives in that country

What are the precautions a newlywed Indian woman can take in a foreign country?

• Try to open a bank account in the country of residence, so that you can withdraw money in emergency and be financially independent. 
• Read and understand the laws of the foreign country and your rights there, especially against any form of abuse or neglect, including ill- treatment, domestic violence, how to get residence permit, etc.
•  Keep in touch after marriage on phone and e-mail with friends and relatives in the foreign country. 
• Wherever it is possible, learn the language of the country you reside in after marriage.

Does the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs provide Legal and Financial Assistance to Indian Women Deserted by their Overseas Indian-Spouses? 

• Yes. The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs operates a scheme for giving legal/financial assistance to Indian women deserted by their overseas Indian/foreigner husbands through NGOs empanelled and legal organisations with Embassy / Consulate.
• Such assistance under MOIA’s scheme is provided through Embassy / Consulate in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore and the Gulf countries such as Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, KSA and UAE. 
• The amount of assistance provided per case under the scheme to deserted Indian women is upto USD 3,000 in developed countries and USD 2,000 in developing countries. Please contact the Welfare Officer or the Indian Community Officer of the concerned Indian Embassy/ Consulate for further details. 

• Weblink: http://moia.gov.in/services.aspx?ID1=55&id=m8&idp=52&mainid=23