'I really need every cent,' she told The Straits Times. She is moving to the next step, asking the Family Court to force him to pay up.

Her case is mild compared to those of other ex-wives who have had to go to the courts again and again because their ex-husbands cannot or refuse to pay the maintenance agreed upon on their divorce.

The trek to court, the wait for a hearing date and the strain put on finances and the children has resulted in a proposal by the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations (SCWO) for a state agency to administer the collection and distribution of maintenance money.

Another reason: the escalating number of divorces and annulments, from 5,825 in 2002 to 7,220 last year. A 2007 Straits Times report said an average of 2,770 people each year turn to the courts to get maintenance orders enforced.

The SCWO believes that there are 50,000 children of marriages that have broken down over the past decade.

Instead of money changing hands between the two parties, Ms Laura Hwang, who heads an SCWO task force looking into this issue, thinks a neutral party, under the aegis of the state, would be better able to compel ex-husbands to pay up.

Also, it removes the need for an emotional confrontation between warring parties in court. For example, a man may refuse to pay maintenance if he feels his ex-wife is blocking his access to his children, she said.

Other pluses Ms Hwang cited include relieving the parties of the need to take time off work for hearings and having the number of defaults automatically registered.

Read the full report in Tuesday's edition of The Straits Times.