India -US Nanny Row
"Devyani Khobragade, 39, a 1999-batch IFS officer posted as Deputy Consul General in New York, was taken into custody last week on visa fraud charges ,strip searched and confined with drug addicts after her detention apart from being subjected to DNA swabbing."
In a strong retaliation, the Indian government has taken a slew of measures :
a. Asking all US Consulate personnel and their families to turn in their ID cards immediately which will "now be downgraded on par with with what the US provides to our Consulates there".
b. Key information such as salaries paid to all Indian staff employed at the consulates and by Consulate officers and families including as domestic helps has also been sought by the government apart from visa and other details of all teachers in US schools and pay and bank accounts of Indians in these schools.
c. Government has also stopped all import clearances including for liquor for the US embassy.
d. Also, the traffic barricades near the US embassy on Nyaya Marg will be lifted except the picket.
I am debating in my mind two questions:
a. How long will this soft diplomacy from India to US run ?? Is it not time to amend our foreign policy for the US in line with India's growing stature in the world and our contribution to US ??
b. Accepting the fact that rules have been flouted by the Indian Diplomat for personal reasons i have a basic question. The diplomat is discharging duties as required by the indian government and the terms of her engagement are governed by indian laws then how can salary of her aid in US be more than what she draws ?? The diplomat draws as per the Indian salary structure and the help has to follow the law of the land .........there is a disconnect.
I invite views on the points above and would try and pen down a post highlighting issues from multiple perspectives.
Indian foreign policy is quite lax as seen over the Italian, French and Portuguese countries which protect their citizens by hoodwinking our IPC (now Togo) and we Indians are genetically inclined to look upon caucasians as superiors. Even on threads and online communities elsewhere they look down upon us. We should retaliate strongly and assert our point which I think its doing right now.
@TS - A very common grievance that people have is that the employer / government is not doing enough for them be it within the country or outside . I would say as a country we are yet to evolve whereby human rights have to be become the centrestage of our policies and legal framework. Choose any sector for that matter, the domestic help that we all so frequently use has no policy in place to govern their employment. Not only they are ill treated in India but also abroad where they are carried as slaves , keeps and 24x7 help. This is exactly what happened in this diplomat's case. The government did not provide caretaker , nanny or domestic help to its diplomats nor made any provisions to facilitate presenting of information in the rightful manner to the US authorities.
What emerges out from this case if
1 ) Employment policies for the unorganised sector and how can several other such jobs be regularised in India ?
2) Since the diplomat was 'Strip Searched' and subjected to demeaning behaviour, what are the measures India should take to avoid any such incident in future. Remember similar experiences for Ex President Abdul Kalam , Shah Rukh Khan , George Fernandes and several others.
3) How can this impasse be resolved. What is expected out of both the countries ?? I mean cases like this can re surface beacuse there would be other diplomats in US circumventing the system and using help at their homes.
@Knitha - Good point you made regarding holiday brides. I am sure you want to pick this up in a new thread. This is a serious issue and we need to debate it in depth.
TS:_ Every parents just wish their best for their daughter's future.Mistake happens even after weighing all the pros and cons.For your information,NRI doesnt need to be a citizen of USA,even if he is just on some Visa type or even a illegal immigrant to USA,he can seek a legal help there.Court assingns the lawyer only if a female is living in USA not for abondaned bride in India.Domestic laws are serious in that country only if a female lives there not for a abondand bride in India.I dont think so i have spoken anything irrlevant as he asked for the opinion and have given mine.If you have seen someone near you as a holiday bride victim you will understand my point not unless. Easy to say and blame girl or parents but not easy to be a victim.I am not being feminist or i am not supporting IFS officer on women's point of view.
I have my sympathy for IFS officier.But there are many other issues where our Indian government chooses to close their eyes in the name of law once it comes to USA.What about the holiday brides in India?Out of 10 Nri marriages in india atleast 5 turns out to be a fraud and newly wed girl remains in India anticipating to join her husband who lives in USA,After few days she recievs a judgement copy from american court that her marriage has been disolved under american law.Devasted female runs betwen american embassy and indian legal help-only to get an answer that domestic law varies from indian soil to americal soil and according to their law they cant do anything to the man as he is very much right according to USA law.If you decide to fight you can fight in the american court is the answer she gets.A middle class female cant bare few lakhs of american lawyer fee so she gives up fighting and accepts this cruelty as her fate.Atleast This IFS officer has voice,but what about these holiday brides?as i said what happened with IFS officer is a big insult to India,but what about the insult of womenhood going through as holiday brides???
Atlease IFs officer has money,people to fight against the injustice.But what about these middle class,no money holiday brides???
Don't you think this goes way off-topic????Honestly, a part of the blame goes on the girl/girl's parent especially those types whose common sense and sense of being cautious for self preservation goes out the window when they get a 'NRI' groom offer. Indian government can do little in this case: because 1. the girl/parents on girl's behalf made the choice to go another country to become a citizen (therefore, U.S. laws applies- not Indian), its a choice that a girl makes, unless 5 out of 10 women who are shipped out of the country are being forced out by parents. FYI, if you can't afford a lawyer, the court assigns a lawyer for you at their expense. Domestic violence laws are pretty effective in United States, even to a point that one can be deported/ arrested/ have their kids taken away by social services, etc. If you haven't noticed, that IFS officer is also a women, though in this context gender is irrelevant.
A lot of their own people don't like the way their own country is doing things for their own people, a situation where we can relate to. The governments have gone full retard. Never go full retard!
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