NEW DELHI: The National Commission for Women (NCW) has asked the Government to sign the Hague Conventions, especially those related to Non-Resident Indian (NRI) marriages, and enter into more reciprocal treaties, particularly with countries having large number of Indians.

Talking to reporters on the eve of a two-day workshop on the issue at Chandigarh from Tuesday, NCW chairperson Girija Vyas said there was a need to educate people on the possible problems that could arise in marriages with NRIs, as the number of complaints, both registered and unregistered, had gone up over the years.

The workshop is likely to be attended by Chief Ministers of Delhi, Punjab and Haryana. It could also see the presence of some victims of NRI marriages.

Ms. Vyas suggested a review of the existing laws and enactment of special ones to address the various issues that arise in NRI marriages. Enactment of uniform personal laws for all religious communities, divorce, maintenance and property rights, while making marriage registration compulsory and the procedure simple, affordable and accessible, will also be suggested at the meeting.The Government should adopt a `convergence' approach among the Ministries of Women and Child development, Overseas Indian Affairs and External Affairs, as well as the National Commission for Women and the National Human Rights Commission through special cells. Indian embassies also need to be geared to provide assistance and response to victims.

Similar workshops will also be held in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and New Delhi, as the number of complaints from these States was high.

Indian women married to NRIs were often abandoned either in the country itself, or in other countries. They were left helpless, as different countries had different laws on divorce and maintenance and the jurisdiction of courts was also different.

The aggravated risks in such marriages was that the victim was isolated from home in an alien land, faced constraints of language, communication, suffered from lack of knowledge of the local criminal justice and empty pocket.

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