When one enters into marriage, in-laws often become a significant influence on the relationship. The relationship between a daughter-in-law and her husband's parents may not always be an easy one to navigate. However, in-laws have no more right to be abusive or subject their daughter-in-law to domestic violence than her husband has.

A young Indian woman who has recently resided in Georgia is currently seeking justice for unacceptable treatment at the hands of her in-laws. This month, she filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in hopes of recovering damages for what she was forced to suffer through.

At the age of 20, she entered into an arranged marriage with a man whose family lived in the United States. Though she was assured that she and her husband would be staying in India, they soon moved to the United States to live with his parents.

Her in-laws allegedly took her passport and personal things, withheld medical care, rationed her food and forced her to work as an unpaid servant in their house. Additionally, they allegedly harmed her physically and monitored her every move through use of a webcam.

The litigation director for Human Rights USA has asserted that, "This case is significant because it raises serious allegations of forced labor and human trafficking in a context, within a family, where those claims are rarely brought forward."

Abuse is abuse, regardless of who commits it or where it is committed. Hopefully the courage of this young woman will inspire others to come forward with their stories, in order to obtain the justice owed to them.

Source: ABC News, "Wife Sues In-Laws, Says Arranged Marriage Turned to Slavery," Susan Donaldson James, Jan. 24, 2012