My sister has been married for four years now and has two lovely children (1F and 3F). However, her in-laws and husband have been subjecting her to mental abuse due to our lower caste background and less favorable financial position compared to theirs. From the very beginning of her marriage, they have been mistreating her, and now they have gone as far as saying they don’t want her or her children in their home anymore. My sister’s husband and mother-in-law constantly pick arguments with her over trivial matters, with her being unfairly blamed most of the time. They insult her frequently for no valid reason. Additionally, her husband takes control of her income every month, claiming it’s for the children’s future, leaving her with no say in the matter. Despite the hardships, my sister hasn’t filed for divorce yet because of her love for her children. When she goes to work, she leaves her kids with our mother, who despite her own health issues, takes care of them until my sister returns. Our family is the only support system she has, as she has no one else to rely on. She doesn’t want to burden us, but she has to work for the sake of her children’s future. Her husband’s behavior is unpredictable, sometimes showing affection which is just for the money that my sister earns, other times picking fights for no reason. It’s evident that her husband and in-laws are exploiting our financial situation for their benefit, pushing her to leave. It’s heartbreaking to witness see her bear such mistreatment, especially considering she was so happy before marriage and used to take care of our family. Despite knowing the reality of her husband and his mother, she still wants to live with them, fearing her children growing up without a father. However, enduring such abuse doesn’t seem justified. While I wish she could move in with us for support, I’m aware it’s what her mother-in-law wants. My sister often shares her struggles with me, and it pains me deeply not being able to provide more assistance due to my own financial instability. Currently, my sister tries to overlook the verbal abuse and mental anguish, but it becomes overwhelming at times, leading her to tears, which in turn saddens our mother. Our mother says it’s not a good decision to get separated at the moment because my sister’s kids are too young. She says it’s better to wait till the kids get to an age when they understand between right and wrong. We feel trapped in this situation and every passing day feels like hell.

I’m so sorry for putting up such a long paragraph but any advice would be really appreciated.