One of Britain’s largest Indian community organisations planned an unusual protest in London’s iconic Piccadilly Circus aimed at highlighting the plight of first generation migrant Indian women in the UK who are abused and exploited by their spouses and let down by the system.
Members of Indian Ladies in UK (ILUK) – a 14,000-strong women’s group made up of first generation female migrants from across India – braved the December cold and become “homeless” for one night, sleeping rough on the frigid streets of London on 23rd December.
They aimed to shed light on the plight of scores of women who have been left physically, mentally and emotionally abused and destitute by their spouses.
The protests came after another year during which ILUK has helped dozens of young women from across India who have fallen victims to abusive partners.
Among those participating in the protest is one woman – originally from Gujarat - whose British-Indian husband took her to India in mid 2016 only to abandon her and kidnap her children and take them to his parent’s home in Madagascar.
The woman – who asked that she be identified only as “C” – was left stranded in the Indian capital Delhi without money or her travel documents. She soon made contact with ILUK which helped organize a passport and an airline ticket back to Britain where she is currently pursuing legal action against her husband and his family.
ILUK and its members have also organised accommodation and counseling for her as well as representing her in court.
Another woman, “S” from Hyderabad, returned to London in October after a visit to India to find that she had been locked out of her home by her IT executive husband who claimed that he had obtained a divorce through the so-called “triple talaq” system of Islamic divorce which is not recognized in the UK or India.
She was left homeless before she made contact with ILUK who organised help for her.
Many of the victims often have little knowledge about how to find help in what is, for many, a largely alien country and are often turned away by police and local councils with the excuse that they have “no recourse to public funds” – a reference to their residency status in the UK.
