Like many other women in the state of Punjab, long a hub of emigration from India, Samira* (not her real name) aspired to marry an Indian working abroad and follow him to a more prosperous life overseas. On January 13, 2014, she thought her dream had come true. That day, in a temple, she married Dhruv*, who’d just returned from Italy, and moved in with his family.
After a few days, though, her in-laws began demanding about $US10,000 so her husband could resettle in Canada. When she failed to secure the money, they starved and beat her, according to a police complaint that did not result in any charges.
Eight weeks after the wedding, her husband went back to his dairy job in Italy. Samira never saw him again. “The days turned into weeks
