National Commission for Women (NCW) launched a series of ‘Awareness Programs on NRI Marriages: Dos and Don’ts, A Way Forward’ across different districts of Punjab to disseminate information on the possible risks involved in NRI marriages, and to create awareness around preventive measures and legal remedies available for victims. Rekha Sharma, Chairperson, NCW, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Minister of NRI Affairs, Government of Punjab, Prof Arvind, Vice-Chancellor, Punjabi University and Meeta Rajiv Lochan, Member Secretary, NCW graced the occasion.
The awareness programs are being held in collaboration with the Department of Law, Panjab University, and in association with SGPC, Punjab State Legal Service Authority, Punjabi University, Guru Nanak Dev University, Panchayats, NGOs, and the local police.
These programs aim to familiarize victims of NRI marriages with their rights, deliberate upon the challenges faced by aggrieved women in getting substantial relief through remedies available under the Indian legal system, and to seek possible solutions to effectively reduce them. The Commission invited eminent experts from the judiciary, administration, and academia as resource persons to inform and educate the participants on the role played by different machineries to provide relief to aggrieved women.
In her address, Chairperson, NCW, Rekha Sharma said that it is very important that girls are given equal opportunities as boys especially in education so that she is empowered and independent. “These awareness programs will be successful only if families and societies change their mindset. Kindly be aware and do all the proper checks before getting your daughters married. It is our collective responsibility to uproot this evil. NCW is committed to raising awareness across the State and we request you to join hands with us,” added Sharma.
The awareness program was divided into four technical sessions. The first session was on the ‘Role of judiciary in providing relief to women aggrieved in NRI Marriages’, and the second session was on the ‘Role of Police’. The third session was on the ‘Role of legal machinery’ and the fourth session was on ‘Sociological aspects of NRI Marriages.’
