KUALA LUMPUR: The government has been urged to establish a federal child support enforcement agency to ensure the fair and automatic collection of child maintenance from non-compliant parents.
Seputeh member of Parliament Teresa Kok said such an agency was crucial to strengthening family institutions under the Madani framework, and that the system should not rely on the assumption that all fathers would automatically fulfil their responsibilities.
“Strengthening family institutions cannot rest on the assumption that all men will automatically fulfil their responsibilities.
“The reality is that many mothers are forced to become personal debt collectors, chasing down ex-husbands just to obtain their children’s basic rights.
“This is not only unfair but also causes prolonged emotional and financial stress,” she said while debating the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Kok proposed that the government model the agency after similar mechanisms in countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada — where authorities are empowered to enforce child support payments through wage deductions, passport suspensions, licence restrictions and legal action.
“Such an approach would make child support a responsibility monitored by the state, not a personal burden.
“Malaysian mothers are long overdue for this, but it is not too late to act in the interest of justice and our children’s future,” she said.
Kok also said that the proposed agency must be inclusive and serve all mothers, regardless of race or religion.
“This agency must benefit all mothers, irrespective of race or religion, who are facing fathers that fail or deliberately refuse to support their children.”
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
