Dr. Charu WaliKhanna, Member NCW was Chief Guest at 3rd international conference on “Human RightsCconcerns of Indian Diaspora” held on 10 January 2013. The conference organised by the Human Rights Defense International (HRDI) and Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) was held at Constitution Club of India, New Delhi. 

Dr. Charu Walikhanna, Member NCW, chaired the Session on INDIAN DIASPORA AND LEGAL ISSUES. She said , “Violence against women is undoubtedly a reflection of woman’s subordinate positing in society. Another manifestation of this unequal power relation which is prevalent specially in the States of Punjab, Gujarat, Kerala among others, is desertion of married women by their non-resident Indian (NRI) husbands. The phenomenon of women being abandoned by the bridegroom of women being abandoned by the bridegroom of Indian origin is not new, earlier also there have been instances of bigamous marriages, entered into by men.; The NRI husband tends to hide his marriage to a foreign spouse and on his visit to Indian, under pressure from his parents marries a girl of their choice, only to abandon her after a brief honeymoon. The task of the man is made easy by the ever obliging parents of the girl who succumb to the temptation of acquiring a foreign groom. 

The problem is not only about the woman being abandoned in Indian but includes demand for dowry, cruelty and forms of harassment; abandonment of the woman on foreign shores, non-consummation of marriage, marriage of convenience, concealment of a pre-existing marriage, ex part divorce etc. 

Member, NCW explained the pattern of abandonment of Indian women of NRI/Overseas marriages: 

(a) A woman residing with her husband in a foreign country suddenly finds her husband has disappeared leaving her in the lurch; 
(b) A woman residing abroad with her husband is either deceptively and/or coercively taken back to Indian and left there without her passport, visa, and money and thus without any way of rejoining her husband; and 
(c) A woman married in India and after the marriage her husband migrates to a foreign country, but is not sent sponsorship for a visa to join him. 

Member distributed the informative booklet developed by NCW which provided the available legal and other remedies to innocent Indian women trapped in such marriages. 

Others speakers in the Session included Dr. Padma Singh, Dr. Chittra Nayar, Expert on Labour issues of Workers in the Gulf Region, Prof. Ved Pal Singh, Advocate Rajesh Gogna and Advocate Jyotika Kalra. 

Discussed during the full day programme were topics of Challenges before Indian Diaspora, Indian Diaspora-Issues of Assimilation and Future of Indian Diaspora. 

The programme concluded with AWARD Ceremony by Hon’ble Justice Ms. Gyan Sudha Misra and Mr. Rajat Sharma, CEO, India TV in which Member NCW was awarded for her contribution to women’s causes.