29-year-old Saritha was abandoned by her Australian citizen husband in 2016 because he allegedly suspected she had cancer, a disease which had already claimed her mother’s life.
Saritha had been married for just over a year when her mother died of breast cancer. After she and her husband travelled to her hometown to attend her mother’s last rites, the husband returned to Australia allegedly with her passport and visa documents, leaving her in India without informing her and withdrew the visa sponsorship.
Saritha hasn’t been able to return to her husband in Australia since then. She is one of the thousands of NRI brides who, according to the Indian government’s recent data, sought help against mistreatment, domestic violence or being deserted by their NRI husbands.
According to India’s External Affairs Ministry, one NRI wife called back home to seek help every eight hours. India’s Ministry of External Affairs says it received 3,328 complaints by wives of non-resident Indians, in 1064 days between January 2015 and November 2017.
Most women calling for help are from Punjab, Andhra Pradesh-Telangana region and Gujarat. Punjab - a state in North India - alone is home to over 25,000 women who have been deserted by their husbands living overseas soon after marriage.
The junior minister for External Affairs, VK Singh told India’s parliament in December that the government of India extended legal and financial help to the victims through the Indian missions overseas, besides revoking and impounding passports of the husbands.
Many victims are approaching the ministry through social media, many directly contacting the Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj.
But not all women receive the required help.
Seema (not her real name) - an Indian national married to an NRI in Brisbane - was forced to return to India last month even before her case was heard by a court after her abusive husband withdrew the visa sponsorship.
Though victims of family violence are protected by the law in Australia, some visas are excluded from the provisions of family violence protection law.
Activists in India say the majority of cases of domestic abuse against NRI wives are reported from United States, Canada and the west Asian countries.
If you need help or information regarding domestic violence, call the Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800 737 732, or visit
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