Terengganu Exco categorises 'spinsters' raising adopted children as single mothers

KUALA TERENGGANU - Unmarried women of a 'certain' age who have low income and and are raising adopted or illegitimate children are included in the category of single mothers in Terengganu.

State Exco for Welfare, Women's Development, Family and National Unity Maliaman Kassim said the group was among the 43,471 women registered as single mothers in the state.

"Besides involving cases of divorce and death of husbands, there is another status of single mother in this state which is women who have never been married and she takes care of an adopted child, we consider these women in the single mother category.

"So we will also register these group as single mothers. One of the factors is an increase in the number of single mothers in this state, is not just divorce cases, but it is also due to more deaths of husbands than wives," he said when met by reporters after the presentation of aid by the family support division of the state Syariah Justice Department 2023 here on Thursday.

Also present at the ceremony was Chief Syarie Judge of Terengganu, Datuk Wan Zakri Wan Mohd.

In the meantime, Maliaman did not detail the age limit for unmarried women who were included in the single mother category and said that the the eligibility to receive assistance depends on their income.

He said for unmarried woman who were in the 'asnaf' (hardcore poor) category aid will be channeled through the Terengganu Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (Maidam) while those in the poor category will receive aid from the Social Welfare Department (JKM).

"The category of ummaried women that is considered 'old' is women who are 35 years or 40 years and above, that is already termed as old age if not married. I was actually a bit reluctant to use the term 'andartu' (spinster) because I know its quite sensitive.

"So for these category of women (who) take care of children, we (the government) will register them as single mothers and for those who do not take care of children, we do not categorise them as single mothers," he said.