NRI cases not uncommon in UAE
dubai — Speaking about the prevalence of domestic violence cases in the UAE’s Indian community, top officials at the Indian Consulate- General and the Indian Workers Resource Centre (IWRC) admitted it is relatively common. The consulate has recorded several hundred cases of marital dispute cases, and over 120 cases were registered in 2017.
Indian Consul-General Vipul said: “At this given time, we are working with five to six cases of domestic abuse.” He said the consulate provides a two-step marital counselling to both spouses.
“First, the officers speak to the couples, and if there is no interest to resolve the issues amicably, the consulate offers legal counselling to the couples. In the case of domestic abuse or abandonment, the consulate also provides financial assistance and sustenance to these women through the Indian Community Welfare Fund,” he added.
Sumathi Vasudevan, labour consul at the Indian Consulate, provides counselling to the couples. She said: “As a policy, we never meet one spouse alone. Both the husband and wife have to be present for the sessions. Some of the
most common reasons for marital disputes are extra-marital affairs and bigamy.”
Similarly, Sailaja Menon, a freelance clinical psychologist who has been working with IWRC since 2005, stated today she sees up to four to five couples every week. “We began a psychological counselling programme for any member of the Indian community residing in the UAE. The consulate even set up a hotline for such cases. Today, the same programme is being offered by
the IWRC, free of cost.”
Menon explained that in many cases, abuse victims presume they cannot approach local authorities for help. “However, when the abuse is severe, some women have called the Dubai Police. Given that Emiratis and South Asians have a similar value system, the police tried to amicably settle these issues at home, before escalating it legally.”
Moreover, Menon also noted that victims of abuse in Dubai, especially women and children, are well taken care of by the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children (DFWC).
The foundation’s helpline 800111 operates 24 hours every day. Victims of all nationalities under threat or at risk of being stranded on the road are being offered emergency shelter for the time it takes to solve their problem, including the required support to live a decent life.