Justice for Mandeep Kaur; India need to Break the Silence
Justice for Mandeep Kaur: Why India Must Break the Silence on Abused NRI Wives
Mandeep Kaur, a woman of Indian origin living in New York, also committed suicide on August 3.
Justice for Mandeep Kaur: In a video posted before her death, she claimed that her husband, Ranjodhbeer Singh Sandhu, abused her for eight years. The Kaur Movement uploaded the heartbreaking video on social media, an online portal dedicated to raising awareness about violence against South Asian women.
Mandeep cried as she described how her husband hit her after drinking, sometimes even without, while having extramarital affairs. She go on to say that her in-laws were unhelpful.
She leaves behind two children.
Mandeep’s death has once again brought attention to the plight of NRI wives.
Many women who remain in a foreign country are trap in fraudulent marriages or abandoned by their husbands.
Regarding to the Ministry of External Affairs, also one NRI wife calls home every eight hours to seek assistance. In addition, according to a report in Economic & Political Weekly (EPW), the MEA received 3,955 domestic abuse complaints from NRI wives between 2017 and 2020.
EPW also reports that 50,000 criminal cases involving NRI marriages have been filed under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code. Most cases have been file in Punjab, where 32,000 NRI brides have lodge FIRs.
As of March 2022, the National Commission on Women (NCW) had received 30,865 complaints. The most common reasons for complaints are the right to live with dignity, domestic violence, dowry, rape, also extramarital affairs.
Most of these women are from Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, also Gujarat. According to a 2018 SBS Punjabi report, over 25,000 women were abandon by their husbands.
How are organizations assisting?
The Kaur Movement has been advocating for the rights of NRI women who have been abuse. A protest was hold outside Mandeep’s husband’s home, also calling for justice. The rally was attend by several Punjabis also other Indians. The Kaur Movement has also contact the NYPD to request that Mandeep’s body be return to her parents in India, rescue her children, and take action against the husband.
Similarly, several foundations are fighting for NRI wives’ rights. Many of these organizations were found by women in similar situations who decide to help others.
