Motherhood is celebrated with sentiment, but single motherhood — arguably one of its most demanding forms — remains cloaked in silence and social discomfort. The system acts as a monster striving to devour the spirit of these mothers and their children.

Whether due to widowhood, divorce, abandonment or separation, single mothers in Pakistan face systematic discrimination. At every step, a challenge awaits them as Kiran M, a single mother and a psychologist, explained and I quote, on these pages for readers to know there is light at the end of the tunnel — always.

"My name is Kiran, and I never imagined I would be a single mother at 29. I grew up in Lahore, in an educated household. I got married at 22 to a man I thought I'd grow old with. But soon the reality struck me on my bridal makeup-matted face. Even the initial days were hard; money was tight for me, and affection was extinct. My husband, although highly educated, refused to show an ounce of respect to me.

He suffered from........

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