A woman known as Kiran endured constant surveillance from her husband 10,000 kilometres away in Brisbane, via cameras installed in her Indian village home, becoming one of thousands of so-called 'abandoned brides'. Her case highlights a disturbing pattern where women from South Asia are left trapped by visa vulnerabilities and domestic abuse after marriages to overseas-based husbands.
The CCTV Prison and a Broken Promise
Kiran's husband installed cameras in the kitchen, living room, and outdoor area of his family's home in northern India in 2017, after their first child was born. From his home in Brisbane, Australia, he watched her constantly, reminding her, "I can always see what you do." The couple had married in a Sikh ceremony in Punjab in 2015, but over the subsequent eight years, her husband visited only four times.
Kiran was promised a life split between India and Australia, eventually settling Down Under. However, when she fell pregnant, he declared he would "never let" her join him. "I came to realise this life was not for me. He had no interest in me. I had just been bought here to take care of others," she says. Her duties, dictated by her mother-in-law and monitored by her husband via camera, included all cooking and cleaning.
A Tourist Visa Trap and Systemic Vulnerability
After community pressure in Punjab – an epicentre for such cases – Kiran's husband brought her and their children to Australia in early 2023. Her hope of a reunited family shattered when she discovered he had brought her on a tourist visa, not a partner visa with a pathway to residency. This left her with no right to stay indefinitely, despite her children being Australian citizens. Her husband later initiated divorce proceedings.
Yasmin Khan, head of the Queensland-based Bangle Foundation which supported Kiran, explains the power dynamic. "Being on a temporary visa adds to many south Asian women’s vulnerability," she says. The surveillance and visa control are forms of coercive control commonly faced by their clients.
A Widespread Crisis of 'Abandoned Brides'
Khan states that Kiran's story is far from unique. Thousands of Indian women are sold a dream of migration that turns into a nightmare, creating a phenomenon of "abandoned brides". Husbands, often in the UK, Australia, or Canada, desert wives after marriage. Motivations vary: some abscond with dowries, others use wives as domestic help for in-laws – a practice advocates liken to modern slavery. Unforeseen visa issues can also strand women.
The Bangle Foundation, which relies on grants and donations without ongoing funding, handles about 1,000 calls annually regarding domestic abuse, visa abuse, and trafficking. A significant 60% come from women interstate or abroad. Khan notes that fear of explaining cultural norms like arranged marriages prevents many migrant and culturally diverse women from seeking mainstream help.
"They’re not going elsewhere because of issues of culture, tradition, shame, honour and embarrassment," she explains.
Kiran, now separated and in visa limbo, fights to remain in Australia with her two children. She clings to the hope that her children will provide the happiness she once sought from her husband. Her case underscores the complex intersection of immigration law, cultural pressure, and domestic violence facing vulnerable women on temporary visas.
