When marrying an NRI turns sore

<div class="section1"><div align="left" style="position:relative; left: -1"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="left" border="1" width="31.9%"> <colgroup> <col width="100.0%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" cbf5ff=""> <div class="Normal"><img src="/photo/882965.cms" alt="/photo/882965.cms" border="0" /></div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal">NEW DELHI: For Urmila Mehra, a class I gazetted officer, dreams of walking past the Houston skyline with her husband turned into a nightmare.She married the "eligible" US-based executive five years ago. In return, he snatched away Urmila''s PF money and assaulted her. Today, she is bringing up her four-year-old daughter single-handed, from her Patparganj apartment.<br /><script language="javascript">doweshowbellyad=0; </script><br /><br />Instances of desertion and domestic violence against women married to NRIs are on the rise, says the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW). The commission has received more than 10 cases since the beginning of this year. Jolted by these cases, the apex body, National Commission for Women (NCW), has written to the ministry of external affairs seeking framing of guidelines to curb this menace. According to DCW chairperson Kiran Walia: "Repatriation is one threat that can be used." <br /><br />Urmila, who is suffering from depression, recently approached the DCW for help. The commission has issued a summons to her husband.<br /><br /></div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal">"It doesn''t matter whether the women are from progressive, educated families or from lower middle class ones. Domestic violence is all-pervasive," Walia said. <br /><br />Dowry is not always the trigger. Here''s an indicator. Of 619 calls received by the DCW in September, 72 were dowry related, 54 were related to mental and physical harassment by husbands and 38 to harassment by in-laws.<br /><br />There''s worse. The National Family Health Survey (1998-99) said 20 per cent of married women, between 15 and 49 years, had been exposed to some form of domestic violence at some point in their lives. In Delhi, the figure for physically-abused married women above 15 stood at 14.1 per cent, second in northern region.<br /><br />It''s no surprise then that women''s groups are crying themselves hoarse for early passage of the pending domestic violence bill. Is anyone listening?<br /></div> </div>