Satwant Kaur was full of hope and happiness on the day she got married.
She had landed a husband who lived and worked overseas in Italy before returning to India to find a bride. She was looking forward to leaving her home in Punjab, northern India, for an exciting new life in Europe.
Her dream did not last long.
Less than a week after the wedding, it became obvious that her husband, Sarwan Singh, had no intention of taking her with him back to Italy. She was the victim of a scam.
Demanding Dowries
Indian men working abroad are much sought-after as husbands because of their relatively high incomes. Their families often demand huge dowries - a practice banned in India but still widespread in some areas.
Kaur says her family paid Singh and his relatives cripplingly large sums of money - the equivalent of 15,000 - during the wedding festivities alone.
Almost immediately afterward, Kaur's new in-laws came up with more demands. They wanted a television, a house and - after Singh went back to Europe - another 15,000. They threatened her with death if her family failed to pay up.
Abandonment
Kaur, now 30, has fled back to her family with her 3-year-old daughter - the product of Singh's brief visit. Mother and daughter must now live with the stigma of being abandoned.
Read the rest of this sad story by visiting NPR.
This scam perpetrated by greedy men is a behavior that must be condemned because it affects women deeply. It is a form of spousal abuse that may involve physical abuse, but it certainly involves emotional abuse.
This scam is contrary to the teachings of the New Testament, where men are exhorted to love their wives in the same way Jesus loved his church. The New Testament teaches that husbands should love their wives with a sacrificial kind of love. What is happening in some places in India is diametrically opposed to what marriage is all about. The behavior of the men who exploit women for money is selfish and self-seeking.
Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
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