GEORGE TOWN – Citing the case of single mother Loh Siew Hong, who was allegedly abused by her ex-husband, Bagan Dalam assemblyman M. Satees has suggested that special police stations be set up nationwide to attend to domestic violence and family dispute cases.
As the world celebrated International Women’s Day yesterday, Satees said that Loh, who regained custody of her three underaged children after losing contact with them for three years, should be given an award for her resilience and courage.
“Society should help more women such as Loh, who had to endure not only physical and mental abuse when her marriage failed but also the anguish of her family being divided by religion.
“A case in point is Ipoh housewife S. Indira Gandhi, who faced a similar predicament to Loh,” Satees told The Vibes.
Satees said the role of special police stations is to manage domestic violence, provide counselling and temporary shelter for women, besides caring for their children.
“It is important that the children are held by neutral third parties, so the aggrieved spouses do not run away with the children out of vengeance for their partners.
I know that police normally ignore domestic violence cases termed as family disputes, and they fail to protect the interest of the women. By right, police should act against the husbands who assault the vulnerable wife,” he said.
He said such police stations exist in India, and are mainly run by women police officers.
The stations provide temporary refuge for women besides protecting their interests.
He said officers at such police stations also conduct counselling and mediation to resolve family disputes.
However, they do not hesitate to act against men who turn violent against their wives.
Loh was said to have suffered fractures in her arms and legs besides bruises, while her husband allegedly threatened to torch her and her three children in a car in a forest in Sg Petani about three years ago.
While she was recovering, her estranged husband fled with her three children – twin daughters aged 14 and a son aged 11. In 2020, he consented to have them converted.
After she was informed of her children’s whereabouts, Loh fought the religious authorities, who were reluctant to release her children due to concerns about their faith.
A high court order issued last year, which granted Loh custody of her children, was also ignored.
She finally won her habeas corpus application two weeks ago and was reunited with her children.
“We failed to see any action against the husband for his violent acts against Loh and the children. We have seen and heard numerous cases of such nature in the past,” Satees said.
Don’t abandon single mothers, former MP urges families
The Vibes had on Sunday reported activists as saying that the plight of single mothers can be addressed effectively if there is a strong support system accorded to them by their families of origin and relatives.
Social activist and former Bukit Bintang MP Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said family members of single mothers, especially their siblings, should not abandon them when their married lives fail.
Abandoned single mothers feel lost, neglected, and unwanted by their siblings. It is the moral duty of family members and siblings to guide them and show them the right path to make it in life.
Penang Hindu Association president P. Murugiah, however, said single mothers are not neglected or abandoned, but they stay away from their siblings and family members, as they do not want them to be in contact with the family.
“Most single mothers leave their family home to follow their lovers, and, in some cases, the lovers involved in underworld activities abandon their girlfriend or the newly married wife along with their newborns or young children.” – The Vibes, March 9, 2022
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