Josil and Harry had planned meticulously to fly back to Malaysia from Bangkok for their daughter’s birth, so that she could get Malaysian citizenship. However, travel restrictions during the pandemic meant that Harry, as a foreign spouse, couldn’t enter the country. The couple look back at how they had to choose between letting Josil return to Malaysia alone to deliver their first child, and staying together as a family.

This is part of a series highlighting the impact of our gender-biased laws for citizenship. Listen also to Myra and Kangwa’s story, where the couple share how their family is coping with their daughter’s non-citizenship status.

This podcast was produced in collaboration with Freedom Film Network, and with support from Family Frontiers.