New Delhi: A total of 60 Indian women living abroad, who were “cheated or abandoned” by their Indian husbands, have been provided legal assistance during the last three years, the Ministry of External Affairs has said.
The ministry was responding to a question in the Lok Sabha Wednesday about the scheme that provides legal assistance to such women in distress.
The government said assistance has been provided under the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF), an umbrella scheme started in 2009 to help Indians overseas in times of distress and emergency. Counselling and legal services are provided to women in distress through Indian women’s organisations, Indian community associations and NGOs identified for providing such services that are empanelled with the Indian missions abroad.
The scheme for providing legal and financial assistance to distressed Indian women was in operation in only 13 countries initially, but it was extended to all Indian missions and posts across the world in September 2017.
Responding to a related question by Congress MP Partap Singh Bajwa last week, the ministry had said 216 women sought legal and financial assistance under the scheme since 2015. Around Rs 63.71 lakh has been incurred so far as assistance to 175 women, it added.
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Highest number of women provided assistance in Canada
According to a country-wise break-up provided by the ministry, the highest number of deserted women who received legal assistance over the last three years were living in Canada, the UAE and the US. There were a total of 16 such women in Canada, 14 in UAE and 14 in the US. The numbers were lowest in Spain, Germany and South Africa. Other countries included in the country-wise list were Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Australia.
Most deserted women (31) were provided assistance in 2019-2020. Sixteen were provided assistance between 2018 and 2019, and 13 between 2017 and 2018.
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