“I was told I am just a uterus to birth his child.”

COMMENT | This harrowing statement by Tania (pseudonym), a non-citizen wife of a Malaysian, encapsulates the compounded abuse endured by foreign spouses in Malaysia.

Tania was born overseas to a Malaysian mother and a non-Malaysian father but was denied citizenship due to Malaysia’s gender-unequal laws.

Her eventual marriage to a Malaysian man was meant to bring stability but quickly spiralled into years of physical, emotional, and economic abuse.

As a non-citizen wife, her right to stay in Malaysia - and even to be with her child - was tied entirely to her husband, leaving her powerless.

Today, Tania lives in the United States, fighting for custody of her five-year-old Malaysian son.