Welfare Measures for Distressed Overseas Indian Women Workers

The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs has issued instructions to the Head of Missions of 17 Emigration Check Required (ECR) countries for setting up shelter homes for Indian women in distress overseas. As per available information, Bahrain, Malaysia, Kuwait, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Riyadh), Oman and United Arab Emirates (UAE) have shelter homes in operation for distressed Indian women workers.

The initial legal assistance to overseas Indian workers in deserving cases, including Indian women workers in distress, is provided from the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF), which has been extended to all Indian Missions abroad w.e.f 24.03.2011.

The Ministry also runs a Scheme for providing legal/financial assistance to Indian women deserted by their overseas spouses. The objective of the scheme is to provide financial assistance to needy Indian women who were either deserted or divorced by their overseas spouses and help them in getting access to counselling and legal services through credible Indian women’s organisations/Indian community associations and NGOs empanelled with the Indian Missions/Posts. The limit of assistance is USD 3,000 per case in developed countries and USD 2,000 per case in developing countries as initial legal aid for documentation and preparatory work for filing the case.

This information was given by the Minister of Overseas Indian Affair, Shri Vayalar Ravi in a written reply in the Lok Sabha