For generations only Malaysian fathers could confer their citizenship to their children who are born overseas, leaving Malaysian mothers in a difficult situation where some are forced to wait years for just an attempt to be able to do the same.

Although the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that “father” in the constitution in this case meant both father and mother, the Malaysian government decided to appeal this decision on the grounds of preventing dual citizenship.

We speak to some families who have been deeply affected by this appeal and how their brief hopes were dashed so quickly after rejoicing at the decision of the court.