Domestic Violence among NRIs

The editorial “Doubly Difficult Abroad” (EPW, 10 February 2018) has brought forth the critical issue of non-resident Indian (NRI) wives. The issue raised is timely, given that the Government of India is contemplating stricter measures to ensure that NRIs are held accountable for abandoning, abusing or harassing their wives.

New Zealand is a country which has increasingly become a popular destination for migration. In 2013, Indians constituted the second largest Asian ethnic group in New Zealand, with 1,55,178 people, according to Statistics New Zealand. As per official reports, Indians are all set to exceed the Chinese in terms of migrants from Asia. Most people migrate either as students, or as partners of New Zealand permanent residents or citizens. Like most other countries, such as the United Kingdom or the United States, NRI parents often look homeward, when their sons attain marriageable age. This coincides with the near manic obsession of Indian parents to look for NRI husbands for their daughters.