Legal awareness remains low, with procedural complexities restrain women from seeking justice.
Digital Desk: Marriage is considered as the pillar of social structure, yet desertion—the abandonment of a spouse without just cause—contradicts this foundation, leaving many women in a state of vulnerability. An emotionally lonely wife finds herself enduring multiple challenges after her husband cut off all marital connections while law , society and financial stability ignore her plight during discussions about empowering women.
India’s Draft National Policy for Women (2016) fails to protect deserted women while properly protecting widowed divorced and separated individuals. A 2023 survey by the CEO of Zilla Parishad, Ahilyanagar district, Maharashtra, revealed that 4,582 out of over one lakh single women were deserted. Without clear legal definitions these women lose access to essential policy protections that intensify their economic and social difficulties.
Indian legal institutions maintain marriage protection laws that force women to bear the weight of these regulations. women who are between divorced or widowhood face legal abandonment because authorities deny them the actual benefits of widows or divorced people. Deserted women experience critical financial difficulties while trying to build economic security through employment and obtain credit and secure shelter. Their situation gets worse because of strict social expectations together with their minimal education opportunities and their inability to access state welfare services. Detached women experience psychological distress through anxiety and depression along with social discrimination which drives them into deep isolation especially when living in rural areas.
The current state assistance systems do not meet the requirements of women abandoned by their spouses. The bureaucratic system uses its processes to prevent numerous people from accessing government social programs. Housing insecurity exists because property ownership around India remains under male control even though the government implemented PMAY-G. Each anti-desertion policy such as MGNREGA and ration cards provides different support standards for abandoned women. The scarcity of funds at Swadhar Greh impedes its ability to help numerous households despite its well-meaning mission.
Women avoid seeking justice because they have limited awareness of the law and complex legal procedures present substantial obstacles. Organisations such as CORO India and Sakhi One Stop Centres promote change however legal processes require revision combined with inclusion policies to be implemented quickly. Urgent policy action along with moral responsibility needs to resolve the situation of abandoned women immediately.
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