10.2 Poverty and single parent

· Single mother, 5 children, 4 denied birth certificates & homeless M. Suppama (44) is living in poverty with her five children, four of whom have been denied even their birth certificates (by the UMNO controlled Malaysian government). Three of her four children have been denied entry into even primary school because they do not have a birth certificate. Her eldest son Linggeswaran works at a petrol station. Her eldest daughter Manimegalai (14) had to stop school at standard 4 as Suppama could not afford to pay for the bus fare. Tamarai Lalitha (11) and Kogilavani (9) have also been denied their birth certificates. This family has no water or electricity supply in their house. As they have not paid their rentals for a few months they have been told to vacate their house. (Malaysia Nanban 10/10/2009 at page 18)

· The Johor MIC is receiving many complaints from Indian women that their husbands have disappeared leaving them to fend for their children alone. Malaysia Nanban, in Star quoted Johor MIC Youth Welfare Subcommittee chief, P. Aruldass as saying that the women are in dilemma as they have no one to take care of their children if they go to work. (The Star, 13.5.2010, page N38)

· Poor Indian mother with seven 7 children earns a meagre wage of RM 350.00 per month. She is living in a shack and is unable to pay RM 50.00 p.m rental. Veeni Arjunan (35) from Manjong with her seven children will any time from now become homeless as she could not even pay her monthly rentals of RM 50.00 per month. The landlord has told her to move out. (Malaysia Nanban, 21/11/09, page 16), (Makkal Osai, 22.12.2010, page 10)

· The pregnant Paruwathy’s (38) rubber tapper husband, the only breadwinner, is in prison allegedly for a drug offence. She has not paid rentals for one year. Her electricity and water has been cut off.

· She has four school going children out of seven children. Poverty could have led her rubber tapper husband to be used as a drug runner by the drug lords. He cannot afford a lawyer and will go to the gallows or 10 to 20 years Jail. (Sinarharian, 13.11.210, page S19)

· Run away children

V. Jayaletchimi, a single mother, working as a security guard, is pleading for her two teenage daughters to return after they ran away from their home in Taman Bayu Perdana on 2^nd June 2010. The two missing girls are Subaseri Mahissaro, 15, and Shalni Mahissaro, 14. Jaya’a mother and the girls grandmother, Ramachee Veerappan, told her that she heard the girls talking about leaving the house and finding jobs on their own before they left. (The Malay Mail, 9.6.2010, page 2).