The National Commission for Women (NCW) organized a Consultation on 'Transnational Access to Justice to Women Deserted in NRI Marriages: Policy & Procedural Gaps' to bring together all the concerned stakeholders designated to provide relief to Indian women deserted by their NRI husbands on one platform and to deliberate upon the challenges and technical issues faced in dealing with NRI matrimonial cases.

In order to get diverse views, the Commission invited experts from Ministry of Women & Child Development, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, NGOs and concerned law enforcement agencies such as Police, Indian Embassies/ Missions abroad, Regional Passport Officers, National/ State / District Legal Service Authorities, etc. to deliberate upon the real challenges and technical issues faced in NRI matrimonial cases.

The consultation was divided into three technical sessions; 'Identification of Problems Faced by Indian Women Married to NRIs/PIOs', 'Access to Justice: Challenges Faced in Indian Legal System' and 'Access to Justice in Countries Abroad: Challenges Faced in Foreign Legal System'.

The sessions were moderated by Dr Pam Rajput, Executive Director, Women Resource and Advocacy Centre, Chandigarh, Ms Nazneen Bhasin, IPS, DIG, Women Safety, Haryana and Justice (Retd) Rakesh Kumar Garg, Ex-Chairman, Punjab State Commission for NRIs. Experts from the different organisations shared their views in the open house discussion. Complainants from different states also shared their experiences in the discussion.

Some of the important suggestions made by the panelists were to conduct training programs for agencies/police officers dealing with NRI cases, embassies to take up the matter of distressed women on priority, setting up a national helpline for victims and informing them about various schemes of MEA, etc.

The experts also discussed the impact of decree passed by court of foreign country pertaining to the matters of divorce, maintenance, child custody and inheritance etc. on the aggrieved

women; and deliberated upon the existing provisions under the Indian legal system which could provide relief to such women.

Through this deliberation, NCW aimed at a better coordination among different stakeholders to evolve effective legal measures towards the delivery of justice to aggrieved women.

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