New Delhi, Aug 27 - Faced with increasing cases of abandonment and divorce of women married to overseas Indians, the National Commission for Women (NCW) Thursday launched an NRI cell to deal with such complaints.

The NRI cell will provide legal counselling to women deserted by their overseas husbands. It will also advise and give recommendations to the government on policies related to NRI marriages. Besides, the cell will also carry out awareness campaigns on the subject.

As per figures tabled by Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs in parliament, 55 complaints were registered against NRIs for abandoning their wives in 2008. This year the number has already reached 42.

NCW chairperson Girija Vyas said the parents had to take special care to make proper inquiries before marriage, instead of just rushing their daughter to marriage.

She said that government had to also take up the issue bilaterally or multilaterally with other countries, so that foreign courts do not issue any decree of divorce unilaterally without the presence of the wife.

'Maybe there could also be norms that before the girl leaves with man after marriage, it is mentioned in the passport so that the husband cannot says that he had never married her once they leave India,' she said.