The number of women abandoned, harassed and ill-treated by their husbands and members of their families abroad has been on the rise, Overseas Indian Affairs minister Vayalar Ravi has said.
He told the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) on March 15, 2012 that his ministry had received 381 complaints, in addition to 532 complaints received by the Non-Resident Indian (NRI) Cell operating at the National Commission for Women.
“A majority of these complaints were from Punjabi women,” he said, in a reply to a members ‘question.
“With 94 complaints, Punjab had topped the list of women victims. There were 68 complaints from Delhi. Andhra Pradesh came next,” he said.
Women from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana were also among the victims, he added.
NZ scene
According to the New Zealand Police, the number of Indians involved in family violence as perpetrators and victims was on the rise in the country.
The Police have launched educational campaigns and taken a number of other measures to encouraging victims to report any form of violence that they encounter in their homes.
They have also launched a new tool, which is expected to become an important part in the management of family violence.
Police Commissioner Peter Marshall said that the ‘Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment’ (ODARA) would become a part of the police response to addressing family violence cases this year.
“ODARA predicts the likelihood of re-assault in intimate partner relationships and is part of a new family violence situational reporting process, which takes an evidence-based approach to information-gathering and risk assessment,” he said, speaking at the Family Violence Conference held in Wellington recently.
He said the incidence of family violence was high (occurring every six minutes) and hence the Police were keen to know if they were making the best decisions for each family.
“We want more focus on families suffering the most serious violence and those we believe are at risk of escalating violence.
“Good risk assessment is vital if we are to make sound decisions that will disrupt the family violence cycle and help us better protect victims and children in their care from further harm,” Mr Marshall said.
Read related report under Communitylink in this issue.
