KLUANG: After assisting a pregnant victim of domestic abuse for the past four months, a municipal councillor has decided to help the woman further by agreeing to adopt her newborn baby.

       Kluang Municipal Council’s Mengkibol zone councillor Joan Ng, 40, said she was willing to take on the responsibility as the 28-year-old woman, who already has two children, could not afford to care for the baby after giving birth to him on June 5.

       According to Ng, the woman alleged that she had been physically and emotionally abused by her husband since they had their second child a few years ago.

       Ng, who is also Kluang MCA public complaints bureau chief, said the couple were facing financial difficulties at the time.

       “The woman was the sole breadwinner of the family and often faced her husband’s wrath when she refused to give him money.

       “She has since moved out of their house and now lives with her parents, but she has to care for them too due to their health,” she said in an interview.

       Ng added that the woman had decided to file for divorce and would be signing the legal documents next month.

       “Back when the woman was still pregnant, she told me that she was very stressed and wanted to put her baby up for adoption as she did not want the infant to grow up in an unhealthy environment.

       “However, she was also worried that once social services took over, she would no longer be able to see her baby in the future,” she said.

       Ng added that although she has three children of her own, she decided to volunteer to care for the woman’s newborn.

       “As a mother, I feel saddened by her plight.

       “This way, she can at least see her child any time she wants in the future,” she said.

       Ng added that she had consulted a lawyer about the legal adoption process and would wait for the baby to be registered under the National Registration Department first.