The key question the next two sub-sections seek to answer for Lebanon and Australia is: what are the childcare regimes available to migrants? Accord ing to a rep resentative of I n sa n Association,’ an estimated 5 per cent of the MDW population have children in Lebanon, the number of migrant children could therefore be around 15,000. The majority of mothers with children have irregular migrant status, which may have pre-dated their pregnancy or, in some cases, been propelled by it. Although MDWs are not allowed to register a civil marriage, a religious marriage {usually officiated by an Islamic Sheikh) is entered into by some couples.