SINGAPORE – A month after their son was born, Lily’s husband kicked her out of his home and blocked her from seeing their baby.
That marked the start of a long ordeal for the 30-year-old Vietnamese bride, who did not see her son for about 10 months.
“I feel it’s very unfair. I’m not in the wrong and I have not been unfaithful,” Lily (not her real name) said in Mandarin, adding that her husband gave her no reason why he wanted to cut ties.
“I missed the first 10 months of my child’s life and this is very painful for me.”
Lily came to Singapore four years ago to look for a better-paying job, and she found one as a kitchen helper at a restaurant.
A compatriot introduced her to her Singaporean husband, a twice-divorced mechanic 15 years her senior. The couple dated for a few months before she became pregnant, and they tied the knot.
But their relationship started to fray during her pregnancy.
She said: “He kept criticising me and comparing me to other women, saying I was so fat during my pregnancy and I’m not pretty enough. He kept saying I was not gentle with him like the beer ladies.”
They also fought over a sum of money that Lily lent him.
One day after she went to see the doctor after giving birth, her husband kicked her out of his flat.
She called the police and was referred to a crisis shelter, where she stayed for six months.
Her husband told her he wanted a divorce and did not let her see their son.
A social worker referred her to Pro Bono SG’s Family Justice Support Scheme, which offers pro bono legal aid to lower-income foreign spouses with Singaporean children.
On July 15, Pro Bono SG and South Central Community Family Service Centre officially launched the Transnational Family Care Centre, the first social service centre dedicated to serving the needs of lower-income transnational families.
Lawyer June Lim took up her case, and she obtained a court order for Lily to see her son once a week for two hours each time.
Ms Lim said Lily’s husband has to comply with the court order, or he faces penalties for failing to do so.
Lily said: “Without my social workers and my lawyer June Lim, I wouldn’t have known what to do and if I can even see my son.”
ALSO READ: Marital dispute between Singaporean man and South Korean wife plays out online
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
