NRI MARRIAGES – WOMEN VICTIMS AND SCAPEGOAT FAMILIES

Abstract

Indian bridegrooms abandoning their wives is not a novel occurrence. Men were often pressured by their families to marry many wives in the past, and bigamy was common. Husbands often concealed their foreign wives and then left their Indian wives. The issue, however, has taken on new dimensions as a result of the global growth in the number of Indian NRIs, who come from a wide range of economic and social backgrounds. Most states have reported incidents of women being abandoned by predators posing as brides, therefore the issue is not limited to a single location.

The plight of Indian women who have had their NRI husbands desert them is often overlooked among the country's many pressing challenges for women as a whole. This underreported socioeconomic issue that weakens the social fabric of the nation pales in comparison to trafficking women, violence against women, rehabilitating the homeless, and providing prenatal and postnatal care. False marriage, infidelity, and dowry extortion are on the rise as more and more Indians leave the country in quest of better opportunities elsewhere, and this trend has a devastating effect on women. Indeed, NRI grooms may easily take advantage of the avarice of the bride's family since they consider their daughter as their passport to El Dorado and the luxuries of foreign shares.