Transnational Marriage Abandonment

Globalisation and migration have increased the rates of transnational marriages. Simultaneously, transnational marriage abandonment (TMA) has emerged as a growing problem, with the term being coined to refer to situations where foreign national wives are abandoned in their country of origin by their husbands who are nationals or residents of another country, in order to deprive them of their financial, immigration and, often, parental rights. This entry examines the key features of TMA and its harmful consequences. The entry explores how TMA has been conceptualised in academic literature as a form of violence against women and, more specifically, domestic abuse, which is supported by gendered social norms and geopolitical inequalities. The entry then considers how the legal response to TMA in England and Wales has developed across family law and immigration policy to improve protections for victims.