Malaysian Mothers Win Battle Over 'Sexist' Citizenship Law
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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AP) -- Several Malaysian mothers won a legal battle Thursday for the right to pass their nationality to their children born abroad, a landmark court decision hailed by activists as a giant step toward gender equality.
Malaysia is one of 25 countries that do not give mothers and fathers equal rights under the country's citizenship laws. Malaysia's constitution gives fathers the automatic right to confer citizenship to their children born abroad, but it doesn’t mention mothers.