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Lok Sabha
Cases of young poor girls married on contractual basis for a short period to foreign nationals from the Gulf Countries have been reported. The National Commission for Women took suo-moto cognizance in the case of marriage of a minor girl aged 16 years who was sold to Yemani National for Rs. 10,000/- under the guise of marriage by a close female relative at Dombivali, Thane District, Maharashtra.
A team of the National Commission for Women was constituted to investigate the matter. After investigation, the matter was taken up with State Government for taking steps to avoid recurrence of such incidences.
The matter was taken up by the Department of Women and Child Development with the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs. The Ministry of External Affairs has informed that India’s diplomatic missions in the Gulf countries have been instructed to discreetly monitor those seeking visas to ascertain the genuineness of the intended purpose of the visit. The Embassies of the Gulf countries have been apprised of this issue during the Gulf Division’s interaction with these embassies. The Ministry of Home Affairs has informed that as far as enforcement of Foreigners Act vis-à-vis loges and hotels is concerned instructions have already been issued that Managers of all hotels and lodges should report to the police within 24 hours of the arrival of any foreigner in their hotels. They are required to obtain information in the prescribed form indicating the details of the foreigners, viz. name, nationality, passport number, etc.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Smt. Kanti Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
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