Ex-lawyer S Naveena is among those imploring gov't to address constitutional gender disparity so that their children can obtain citizenship.
Former lawyer S Naveena could not hold back her tears when speaking about the challenges she had faced fighting for Malaysian citizenship for her 18-month-old son.
"I married a Sri Lankan, a refugee who settled down in France in 2013. He worked in France as an electrician. I gave birth to two sons in 2016 and 2018," she told the media whenNaveena had applied for citizenship for both of her children at the Malaysian embassy in Paris. Malaysian citizenship was important for her children, given that her husband is a stateless man.
She immediately wrote to then home minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to seek his help, and her first-born received citizenship four months later. This time around, she went to the National Registration Department and Home Ministry more than a dozen times without receiving a response in return. The forum, which was organised by a women's rights advocacy group, saw some 20 women who faced similar dilemmas gathering to support each other.Cloris Yow, a 32-year-old chef who married a Chinese national who resided in New Zealand, had applied for citizenship for her three-year-old daughter in December 2016.
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