A woman who separated from her husband last year is finding it difficult to take care of herself financially because she is unemployed.

According to the woman, her husband is working but refuses to assist her.

"My husband was the one who forced me to leave him because I just could not cope any longer with his life style," she disclosed.

"My husband was involved in relationships with other women while we were living together. He usually gets home late at nights and when I speak to him about his lifestyle, he curses me.

"One day, I said enough was enough and so I packed my belongings and moved out to live with my sister. I am not working, and when I ask him for money to buy food or pay my medical bills, he refuses. He says I am no longer his responsibility.

"Although his friends and his mother tell him to assist me, he says he is not helping me. He knows he is the one who is at fault, but he is behaving as if I am the one who caused the separation. I am just tired of the way he is behaving. I told my sister that I was going to sue him for maintenance but she is discouraging me from doing so. My husband is in a very good job and is just wasting his money on other women while, I as a 55-year-old woman who is diabetic and has other medical conditions, gets no support from him. It is unfair for me to be depending on my sister to support me," she said.

The Maintenance Act makes provisions for a husband to maintain his wife even if they are separated and in cases even after a divorce.

Section 18 of the Act states that "where a dependant is unable to maintain himself or herself by reason of old age or infirmity which is likely to be permanent, a maintenance order may be made to be in force for the rest of the natural life of that dependant."

If you decide to sue your husband for maintenance, you can do so in the Resident Magistrate's Court or Family Court in the parish where you reside.