A young Indian woman, known as Kiran, endured years of surveillance and control from her husband in Brisbane, all while living thousands of kilometres away with his family in a Punjabi village. Her story is a stark example of a growing crisis affecting thousands of so-called 'abandoned brides'.
The Unseen Prison: Surveillance and Control from Afar
After marrying in a Sikh ceremony in Punjab in 2015, Kiran's husband, an Australian permanent resident, returned to Brisbane. He visited her only four times over eight years. During a visit in 2017, after their first child was born, he installed CCTV cameras throughout the family home.
From his home in Australia, he could watch Kiran in the kitchen, living room, and outdoors. He used this constant surveillance to dictate her actions, demanding she cook fresh meals for his parents and follow his mother's orders for domestic duties. Arguments during his rare visits often turned violent.
Kiran was sold a dream of migration and a new life abroad, a promise that turned into a nightmare of isolation and control. She describes realising, "I had just been bought here to take care of others."
The Broken Promise and Visa Limbo
For years, Kiran's husband promised they would eventually settle in Australia. However, when she fell pregnant, he declared he would "never let" her join him. It was only after community elders in Punjab intervened in early 2022 that he travelled to India and brought her and their children to Australia the following year.
Upon arrival in Brisbane, Kiran discovered a devastating betrayal. Her husband had brought her to Australia on a tourist visa, not a partner visa. This meant she had no pathway to permanent residency, despite her two children being Australian citizens. He later initiated divorce proceedings, leaving her in legal limbo.
Yasmin Khan, head of the Queensland-based Bangle Foundation which supports Kiran, explains that the power exerted through this visa vulnerability is a potent form of coercive control. "Being on a temporary visa adds to many south Asian women’s vulnerability," Khan states.
A Widespread Crisis of 'Abandoned Brides'
Kiran's case is not isolated. Advocates report a phenomenon of "abandoned brides"—women deserted by Indian-born husbands living in countries like the UK, Australia, and Canada. Some men abscond with dowries, while others use their wives as domestic help for in-laws, a practice some liken to modern slavery.
The Bangle Foundation, which relies on state support and donations without ongoing funding, fields about 1,000 calls for help each year related to domestic abuse, visa abuse, and trafficking. A significant 60% of these calls come from women based interstate or abroad.
Khan highlights that cultural barriers prevent many from seeking mainstream help. "They’re not going elsewhere because of issues of culture, tradition, shame, honour and embarrassment," she says, referring to fears around explaining norms like arranged marriages.
Kiran now fights to remain in Australia with her children, clinging to the hope they provide the happiness she was denied. Her case underscores the complex intersection of immigration law, domestic abuse, and cultural dynamics that traps vulnerable women in silence and fear.
