21/08/2025

First page Previous page 10 Next page Last page

THURSDAY | AUG 21, 2025

COMMENT by Ameena Siddiqi

Securing every child’s right to support W HEN Seputeh MP Teresa Kok stood in Parliament to call for a federal Child Support Agency (CSA), I

In 2023, SIS Forum (Malaysia), through its legal service Telenisa, reported that 42% of all legal aid consultations were on child maintenance. Nearly half involved fathers who refused to pay outright, a quarter cited unemployment and some openly defied court orders, knowing enforcement was weak. In its Hak Kewangan study, SIS documented maintenance orders as low as RM150 for two school-going children, sums far below actual costs. This is not a new fight. Since 2005, SIS has been urging the creation of a federal Child Support Agency (CSA) to assess realistic payment amounts, trace absent parents, deduct from wages, seize assets and suspend passports or licences for persistent defaulters. This can work but it needs political will. In Australia, compliance rose from 25% under court orders to over 70% under the CSA, with 90% of arrears recovered. In the UK, DWP (Department for Work and Pensions)/IFF research found that most separated families established new arrangements within months of their old cases closing and those backed by strong enforcement lasted longer. The difference was not that mothers tried harder – they already were – but that the system finally did its part. A Malaysian CSA could be tailored to our reality: 0 One national standard so Syariah and civil orders are enforced equally across states. 0 Automatic deductions from salaries or bank accounts, without waiting for non-payment first. 0 Realistic assessments based on current cost-of-living data. 0 A humane approach for genuine hardship, ensuring children are supported, even when the payers were struggling. None of this is abstract. It is the difference between a child eating lunch in the canteen every day and one who quietly skips meals. It is about replacing the anxiety of chasing payments with the

could not help but think how many more years mothers will have to shoulder the burden alone before the country finally treats their struggles as urgent. Mothers have already done everything asked of them – gone to court, filed the paperwork, chased signatures, kept every receipt and attended every hearing. They wait months, sometimes years, for orders that are supposed to make things better. Yet enforcement remains too slow and weak to change their daily reality. Take for example Mizah Salleh. In August 2025, her story went viral after she revealed on social media that her ex-husband had failed to pay RM70,750 in child maintenance since November 2020. The arrears – RM1,350 a month – do not even cover the extra costs every parent knows come with school prep, medical needs or Hari Raya. “I sacrificed everything,” she wrote. “But this suffering should not fall on a mother alone”. Thousands of women responded, not with surprise, but with recognition. The numbers show her case is far from unique. According to a 2020 census, there are 910,091 single mothers in Malaysia, making up roughly 8.3% of all households. Only 18% are registered with the Women’s Development Department, leaving most invisible in official systems. Almost 90% of working single mothers are in the B40 income group and more than half live below the poverty line despite having jobs. For Muslim mothers, the disappointment carries a moral weight, too. Islam is clear: a father’s duty to provide does not end with divorce; it must be done adequately, fairly and without harm. Yet too often, maintenance is treated as optional. This is not just lived experience; it is documented.

“None of this is abstract. It is the difference between a child eating lunch in the canteen every day and one who quietly skips meals. It is about replacing the anxiety of chasing payments with the certainty of knowing they will arrive.

Almost 90% of working single mothers are in the B40 income group and more than half live below the poverty line despite having jobs. – ADIB RAWI YAHYA/THESUN

power had finally heard what mothers, advocates and researchers have been saying for years: that child maintenance should be a guaranteed right, not a gamble. It is time for Malaysia to stop waiting for mothers to prove yet again that the need is real. Ameena Siddiqi is the communications manager at SIS Forum (Malaysia). She plays a pivotal role in advancing SIS’s mission to promote women’s rights within the Islamic framework in Malaysia. Her work is driven by a commitment to amplifying voices, fostering dialogue and advocating for meaningful change. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

certainty of knowing they will arrive. It is about ending the years of uncertainty, repeated court visits and the weary knowledge that, in the end, too many mothers are left to shoulder the cost of raising children alone. So, what more must mothers do before this becomes a national priority? Must we speak publicly about the private pain of juggling bills and court dates? Must we wait until another generation of children grow up without the care they deserve? Or is it enough that for decades, women and groups like SIS have been documenting, advocating and proposing solutions, only to see the burden continue to fall largely on the mothers’ shoulders? Kok’s proposal felt like someone in

Education matters remain an important component of Malaysian society. Today the landscape is fast paced with new exciting developments in technology such as AI, coding, virtual reality, and cybersecurity, leading the way for changes in curriculum development. To showcase the latest and most updated content, we invite you join us in 2025, and be part of our Education Focus!

Malaysian Paper

Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease