Husband flees to Gulf with minor children

Rishana Nilofer, a mother of three children, is distraught after exhausting all options to be with her two minor children, ‘abducted’ by her husband.

Shanib, Rishana’s husband, is employed in the Gulf and had come to India on September 8 ,2018 as his wife had delivered their third child, named Nuha Mariam.

On September 18 at 4 pm, Shanib on the pretext of buying ice cream abducted his two minor children and took them to Abu Dhabi on a night flight.

After landing at Abu Dhabi, at around 10 pm, he contacted his worried wife and informed that the children were with him.

For the next two days he kept her updated about the children through Whatsapp images. Since then there has been no communication from Shanib .

Human Rights Protection Foundation (HRPF) president Dr Ravindranath Shanbhag said, “On October 1, Rishana from Ullal approached HRPF with her 20-day-old baby to seek his help on rescuing her children.”

The HRPF counselled her as she was having suicidal thoughts and guided her to the nearest Jamaat hoping that the dispute would be resolved amicably.

Rishana, daughter of prominent businessman Siddhiabba, had got married to Shanib, 8 years ago. It was an arranged marriage and 130 pawans of gold and a flat in Mangaluru was handed over to the Shanib’s family as dowry. The marriage was solemnized with the consent of both families in the presence of the seniors of the Jamaath.

After her marriage, she was ill treated by her husband and mother-in-law. She was always taunted by her husband and mother-in-law for not being`well qualified,’ he said.

She often had to face physical and emotional abuse that led to mental agony. Though two months have passed since her two children were abducted by her husband, the elders in the community have failed to pursue or force Shanib to hand over the children to Rishana, Shanbhag added.

Many Muslim social organisations have extended their moral support to Rishana. Samman Counselling Centre contacted Kannadigas in Abu Dhabi, who have promised to resolve the issue.

A Committee of Advocates from the HRPF had declared in their detailed report that as per the Muslim Sunni sect, a girl child should be in the custody of her mother until she attains puberty and a boy child until he attains the age of 7.

None from the community or social organisations have succeeded in forcing Shanib to surrender the two minor children as the abduction was a violation under Sunni sect.

The police had also failed to take any action. The HRPF has also submitted a detailed report to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. With no communication from Rishana’s husband and his family members, the HRPF has now decided to file a case to ensure that courts come to the rescue of Rishana.