Indian Woman Made to Work Like Slave By Husband in Australia

By Little India Desk | February 21, 2018

An Indian woman in Melbourne, Australia, was made to live like a slave wife by her husband who allegedly abused her physically, sexually and verbally, the court heard on Feb. 19. The victim was only allowed to step out of her bedroom to complete some domestic chores, according to court documents.

The woman was often forced to live on bread and pickles by her 33-year-old husband who has been charged with reducing a person to slave. The woman, who has not been named for legal reasons, gave her evidence at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Feb.19 as the court was closed to the media and the public, the Brisbane Times reported.

“She was not allowed to step out of the house and instructed by her husband to remain in her bedroom unless she was cooking or cleaning for them,” a police summary report released to reporters by Melbourne Magistrates Court stated.

The woman came to Australia to stay with her husband and his brother in 2015 at their home in Pakenham and lived there for around six weeks, between August and October 2015.

According to court documents, she was ordered to cook, clean and do the laundry for both of them from the moment she arrived. Although the long journey left her exhausted, she was shown no mercy.

The accused man and his brother also face a single charge each of possessing child pornography. The charges have been adjourned to April and the hearing is on.

“She did not have access to any money and when she asked if she could go to work to earn money, her husband told her she could not leave the house,” the police said, reported 9 News.

The court summary also said that the woman was not allowed to see a doctor or take medication when she was ill for three days. She was also not able to purchase a SIM card for her cellphone and felt that the brothers were continuously keeping an eye on her.

The husband has also been accused of continually asking her to request her family in India to send money.

The police said that after being trapped in the house for around six weeks, she saw a computer that was unlocked and immediately contacted her sister to seek help.

“She was caught using the computer by her brother-in-law, who told her he couldn’t wait to find out what his brother would do to her when he returned home. In terror, she fled the house and sought help from neighbors,” said the police.

The police summary said that she was being supported by a family violence agency that got in touch with the Australian Federal Police in April 2016. A probe was then launched, ABC News reported.

Magistrate Belinda Wallington ruled that the husband’s brother will not be permitted to sit in court as the wife gave evidence, since the brother had earlier been charged with a slavery offence and was a co-accused earlier. The brother, however, is no longer charged with a slavery offence.

Matthew Page, the lawyer of the man accused, had applied for the brother to be in the closed court, telling the magistrate that the brother was the only support the husband had.