Module-VI
Social Issues-II
NRI Wife, Single Parenthood, Live-in Relationships, Homosexuality, Khap
Panchayat.
NRI Wife
NRI marriages’, as generally understood, are between an Indian woman
from India and an Indian man residing in another country (thus NRI – non-
resident Indian) either as Indian citizen (when he would legally be an ‘NRI’)
or as citizen of that other country (when he would legally be a PIO – person
of Indian origin).-A/C National Commission for Women
Reason: In the eagerness not to let go of such lucrative marriage offer, the
families totally ignores even the common cautions that are observed in
traditional matchmaking. They also ignore that in case of things going
wrong in an NRI marriage, the woman’s recourse to justice is greatly
constrained and complex. The aggravated risk in such marriage is the
woman is being ‘isolated’ far away from home in an alien land, facing
language constraints, communication problems, lack of proper information
about the local criminal justice, police and legal system. The situation is
worsened by lack of support network of friends and family and monetary
constraints which leaves the deserted wife completely helpless and stranded.
Common Issues in NRI Marriages
Following are some of the typical instances of the issues that could arise in
NRI marriages
Woman married to an NRI who is abandoned even before being taken by her
husband to the foreign country of his residence.
Woman brutally battered, assaulted, abused both mentally and physically,
malnourished, confined and ill treated and forced to flee or was forcibly sent
back.
A quick engagement, followed by a massive wedding, a huge dowry and a
honeymoon, after which the NRI husband flies out of India while the wife
waits for her visa. The menace of ‘honeymoon brides’ is a big problem to
deal with as over 20,000 brides have not seen their husbands after their
honeymoon.
In some cases, the children were abducted or forcibly taken away from the
woman.
Woman who reached the foreign country of her husband’s residence and
waited at the international airport there only to find that her husband would
not turn up at all.
Abandoned in the foreign country with absolutely no support or means of
sustenance or escape and without even the legal permission to stay on in that
country.
NRI husband was already married in the other country to another woman
Husband had given false information on any or all of the following: his job,
immigration status, earning, property, marital status and other material
particulars, to con her into the marriage.
Woman was denied maintenance in India on the pretext that the marriage
had already been dissolved by the court in another country
Single Parenthood
“Someone who has a child or children but no husband, wife,
or partner who lives with them(Dictionary of Cambridge)”
Single-parent families are families with children under age 18 headed by a
parent who is widowed or divorced and not remarried, or by a parent who
has never married.
Thompson and Gongia (1983) define single-parent families as those in
which there is a single parent, father or mother, raising his or her own
children
Source for study:
[Link]
Khap Panchayat
Khap' panchayats are caste or community groups, present largely in rural
areas of north India which at times act as quasi-judicial bodies and
pronounce harsh punishments based on age-old customs. These panchayats
earlier told the court that they were encouraging inter-caste and inter-faith
marriages and had referred to provisions of the Hindu marriage Act which
prohibits a union between “Sapinda” relationships or close blood relatives
among the Hindus. They claimed that they were performing their duties as a
conscience keepers of the society.
'khaps' they cannot become "self-appointed conscience keepers according to
the supreme court. The SC further argued that the Khap Panchayats cannot
take law in their own hands with the so-called honour killings and strongly
argue that the centre and the state governments should protect the life of
couples from such actions.
Khap panchayat is the union of a few villages, mainly in north India though
it exists in similar forms in the rest of the country. Lately they have emerged
as quasi-judicial bodies that pronounce harsh punishments based on age-old
customs and traditions, often bordering on regressive measures to modern
problems
Khap Panchayats
They are the traditional social institutions engaged in dispute resolution in
village communities.
They are formally distinct from the lawfully elected village panchayats and
their rulings have no legal sanctity in the eyes of court.
They are most prevalent in Haryana and Western UP, however they exists
in whole of North India in different forms.
It is generally an all-male organization and its leaders are unelected but
based on their social clout.
Why can't they be banned?
Live-in Relationships
Live-in relationship is a kind of a living arrangement in which a man and a
woman who are unmarried live together without the legal sanction.