Issues for Policy and Practice in the UK and India

Abandonment of wives by non – resident Indian men in transnational marriages has become a widespread phenomenon. Abandonment can take three forms: (a) a woman , migrating after marriage to her Indian – origin husband’s country of residence , may be ousted or (less commonly) flee after a period of abuse ; (b) a woman who has migrated with her husband after marriage may be deceived into returning to India for a vacation and abandoned there, while her husband returns and revoke s her visa ; (c) a woman may be left behind in India after marriage while her husband goes back with assurances that he will sponsor her visa, but the woman is left with her in – laws and is eventually ousted from their home or leaves because of domestic violence.

This study was conducted between December 2013 and May 2015 with abandoned wives in the second and third categories in Delhi, Punjab and Gujarat, states in India which have a long history of out – migration to the UK and other countries in the West. This study explores the nature and patterns of abuse and abandonment in transnational marriages, and document s women’s experience of the legal and judicial apparatus in the UK and India in their quest for justice. I t is hoped that the findings will stimulate policy debates within and between the two countries on abandonment as a form of gender – specific violence and on measures to address the problem.

Twenty – eight of the 57 women interviewed for this research had been married to men resident in the UK, eight of the husbands were from Italy, four each from Australia and USA, with smaller numbers from other countries. About two – fifth of the women we interviewed had migrated following their marriage while the remaining women remained in India with their in – laws, while they awaited a spousal visa. Most of t he women reported that their marriages had been hastily arranged with the exchange of dowry and lavish celebrations, all paid for by the bride’s family.

The majority of the women reported that they had experience d physical violence perpetrated by their husband, in – laws or both. All the women were subjected to coercive control, isolation and financial abuse. The women who were left behind with their in – laws were mo re likely to experience violence from female in – laws, while a majority of the violence experienced by marriage migrants was perpetrated by their husbands.

A third of the research participants disclosed sexual abuse perpetrated by their husband, while just under a quarter disclosed sexual abuse by male in – laws. A fifth of the research participants had been coerced in to undergoing abortion(s). A majority of the women who experienced sexual abuse indicated that our interview was the first time they had disclosed this abuse.

All the women interviewed had sole responsibility for domestic labour in the household while a minority of women who engaged in paid work experienced appropriation of their wages. A majority of women also suffered abuse and control in the context of micro – management of their domestic labour and about half of the women were denied food and adequate lodgings, and subjected to degrading treatment.

Ongoing demands for dowry, and escalating violence where such demands could not be met, were significant contexts for abuse for the majority of the women. Inability to meet dowry demands eventually triggered abandonment f or most of the women left with their in – laws.

Socio-cultural norms against divorce compelled women to remain in abusive relationships. Insecure immigration status prevented marriage migrants from seeking help. A majority of the women who had migrated following marriage were deceptively taken back to India and abandoned there. A small number of marriage migrants eventually fled their husband’s country of residence because of the escalating violence. Women left with in – laws were eventually cast out of the affine home, while a small minority left because of the violence.

Following abandonment, ex-parte divorce proceedings were initiated by the husband, in a context where the woman was ignorant of the proceedings or could not represent herself in legal 4 proceedings in another country. Some of the women did initiate legal action in India against their husbands and in – laws, however most complaints ended in a compromise agreement or were not pursued by the police. Very few of the women received financial settlement of any kind upon divorce, and none received any maintenance for their children or return of their dowry.

The findings suggest that cultural practices like dowry, son preference, and dominant social norms which make for patriarchal control and devaluation of women played an important role in the violence and abandonment that ensued in all marriages. Crucially, the inadequacy of national and transnational legal mechanisms served to create transnational brides as a particularly vulnerable category of women who could be abused and exploited with impunity. I t was in this context that some Indian – origin men in the diaspora sought brides in India and treated them as disposable women, whose abuse was not a matter of concern

Download the full report from https://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/20091/7/20091%20Anitha%20et%20al_2016_Disposable%20women.pdf

October 3, 2016