Telenisa dedahkan dapatan penting dalam laporan perkhidmatan guaman Syariah 2023 (Malay/English)

[ENGLISH VERSION BELOW] Telenisa telah mengeluarkan laporan Statistik dan Dapatan 2023 yang memperincikan perkhidmatan yang diberikan kepada perempuan dan lelaki beragama Islam berkaitan hal perundangan Syariah.

Laporan ini mendedahkan dapatan penting tentang cabaran dan pengalaman yang dihadapi oleh perempuan dalam isu undang-undang keluarga Islam.

Laporan tersebut telah dilancarkan secara rasmi pada majlis yang diadakan di Hotel Grand Millenium Kuala Lumpur oleh Nurul Syazwani Noh, ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri Selangor bagi kawasan Permatang, Selangor.

Sejak penubuhannya pada tahun 2003, Klinik Bantuan Guaman Telenisa telah menjadi asas kepada perkhidmatan nasihat berasaskan hak berkaitan undang-undang keluarga Islam dan undang-undang kesalahan jenayah Syariah di Malaysia.

Sepanjang 21 tahun yang lalu, Telenisa telah membantu lebih daripada 15,000 individu yang terdiri daripada perempuan dan lelaki daripada pelbagai latar belakang.

Laporan Telenisa Statistik dan Dapatan 2023 menyatakan beberapa kecenderungan kritikal dari tahun 2021 hingga 2023 yang memfokuskan kepada punca utama penceraian.

• Keganasan rumah tangga: Punca penceraian yang paling lazim pada tahun 2023, mencakupi 20% daripada kes
• Suami tidak memberi nafkah: Kedudukan yang tinggi secara konsisten, isu ini mewakili 19% kes penceraian pada tahun 2023
• Masalah komunikasi: Punca penting penceraian perkahwinan, dicatatkan dalam 17% kes pada tahun 2023
• Curang: Walaupun sedikit menurun dari tahun 2022, kes curang menyumbang 12% daripada penceraian pada tahun 2023

Perempuan menghadapi pelbagai cabaran terutamanya ketika melalui prosedur sistem mahkamah Syariah seperti proses birokrasi yang kompleks, kesukaran untuk mengumpul bukti dan kekurangan sokongan masyarakat yang menyebabkan mereka berasa tertekan dan menghalang perempuan daripada mendapat keadilan.

Kekangan kewangan merumitkan lagi keadaan ini kerana 99% klien Telenisa dilaporkan tidak mempunyai peguam yang mewakili mereka. Peguam syarie yang berpengalaman memerlukan kos yang tinggi, dan sumber terhad (daripada kerajaan dan NGO) memaksa ramai perempuan menguruskan sendiri proses perundangan yang rumit.

Oleh sebab kegagalan suami memberikan nafkah terus menjadi isu, kami mencadangkan langkah-langkah berikut untuk memastikan perempuan menerima keadilan yang sewajarnya:

• Pendidikan dan sesedaran: Mengadakan bengkel dan seminar berterusan untuk mendidik pasangan tentang hak nafkah dan tanggungjawab masing-masing, dan  menyediakan maklumat yang jelas dan boleh diakses berkenaan prosedur undang-undang untuk memfailkan tuntutan nafkah dan memahami perintah mahkamah
• Memperkasa sokongan undang-undang: Menawarkan khidmat bantuan untuk membantu isteri memfailkan tuntutan nafkah dan membuat susulan terhadap perintah mahkamah, dan memudahkan proses membuat laporan untuk ketidakpatuhan perintah nafkah. Ini dapat meminimumkan  permohonan interim
• Penguatkuasaan yang lebih tegas: Mengukuhkan mekanisme penguatkuasaan untuk memastikan kepatuhan kepada pembayaran nafkah yang telah diarahkan oleh mahkamah dan menubuhkan pasukan petugas khusus untuk mengesan dan menghukum individu yang mengelak kewajipan memberi nafkah dengan menukar pekerjaan atau kediaman
• Program bantuan kewangan: Membangunkan program bantuan kewangan untuk suami yang menganggur untuk membantu mereka mendapatkan pekerjaan dan memenuhi tugas memberi nafkah dan menyediakan sokongan kewangan sementara kepada isteri yang bergelut dengan perbelanjaan rumah tangga akibat ketidakpatuhan pasangan mereka
• Perantaraan dan kaunseling mandatori: Galakkan perkhidmatan perantaraan dan kaunseling mandatori untuk pasangan yang menghadapi pertikaian berkaitan nafkah supaya isu ini dapat diselesaikan secara baik dan menawarkan sokongan berterusan dan sesi susulan untuk memastikan kepatuhan dan menangani cabaran yang berterusan
• Rangkaian komuniti sokongan: Mengadakan rangkaian komuniti untuk sokongan emosi dan bantuan kewangan kepada isteri yang meghadapi isu tuntutan nafkah dan melibatkan pemimpin masyarakat dan organisasi untuk menyokong pematuhan pemberian nafkah yang lebih baik sekali gus menyokong keluarga yang terjejas.

SIS menyedari akan kepentingan melindungi anak-anak dan lantang menyokong penubuhan agensi sokongan kanak-kanak sejak tahun 2005. Agensi sedemikian akan menyelaraskan penilaian, kutipan dan pengeluaran bayaran nafkah anak-anak, mengubah proses daripada kehakiman kepada pentadbiran.

Agensi sokongan kanak-kanak juga akan memiliki kuasa penguatkuasaan termasuk potongan gaji, mendapatkan perintah mahkamah, dan mengenakan hukuman seperti penafian pasport atau pembatalan lesen. Model ini telah dilaksanakan di negara seperti Australia dan berjaya meningkatkan kadar pematuhan dengan ketara untuk pembayaran nafkah dan sokongan anak-anak.

Peningkatan bilangan isu berkaitan undang-undang keluarga Islam seperti yang dilaporkan dalam Telenisa: Statistik dan Dapatan menyatakan keperluan kritikal untuk pembaharuan dan penambahbaikan berterusan hak perempuan dalam keluarga.

Selama lebih 30 tahun, SIS tidak berputus asa memperjuangkan isu ini dan menggesa agar undang-undang keluarga Islam dan Akta Kesalahan Jenayah Syariah lebih adil mengikut prinsip-prinsip penting Islam iaitu menegakkan keadilan dan mempunyai belas ehsan. – SIS

Muat turun laporan penuh: “Telenisa: Statistik dan dapatan 2023“.

*Telenisa menyediakan khidmat bantuan guaman percuma mengenai undang-undang keluarga Islam dan undang-undang kesalahan jenayah Syariah melalui WhatsApp dan panggilan telefon di 012-8123424, atau konsultasi bersemuka melalui temu janji setiap Isnin hingga Jumaat dari 10 pagi hingga 5 petang.

English version

Telenisa unveils key insights in 2023 Sharia legal services report

Telenisa has released its Statistics and Findings 2023 report, detailing the services provided to Muslim women and men regarding Sharia legal matters.

This report offers crucial insights into the challenges and experiences encountered by women in the realm of Islamic family law.

The report was officially launched at an event held at the Grand Millennium Hotel Kuala Lumpur by Nurul Syazwani Noh, the member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly for Permatang, Selangor.

In her statement, Nurul Syazwani said: “Telenisa provides essential legal assistance, offering hope and justice by helping individuals understand their rights and legal procedures within the Syariah court system. As an advocate for women’s rights myself, I recognise the transformative power of legal support. Initiatives like Telenisa ensure women have access to justice and protection, fostering a legally literate community that can shape fairer laws.”

“I have engaged with NGOs, including Sisters in Islam and Telenisa, to address women’s rights issues and propose solutions. Recently, I raised concerns about unauthorised polygamy under Section 124 of the Islamic Family Law Enactment (State of Selangor) 2003, advocating for stricter laws to protect women’s rights.”

“Many women fear taking legal action due to shame, intimidation and limited access to justice. We must establish a strong support network where every woman feels protected and heard. Communities like Telenisa provide crucial support, empowering victims and deterring perpetrators of violence. Together, we can ensure justice and protection for all women.”

Rozana Isa, the executive director of Sisters in Islam said, “Sisters in Islam celebrates 21 years of Telenisa, a free mobile legal clinic providing Sharia legal system. Consultations to Muslim women in need, last year, we received a suggestion from Ms Siti Hajar of the Kelab Sokongan Ibu Tunggal, Wilayah Persekutuan [Single Women’s Support Club in the Federal Territory], to extend our services to beyond the Klang valley all the way to Sarawak.

“As a result, we have established close cooperation with the Sarawak Women for Women Society and Purple Lily to hold workshops and mobile Telenisa clinics in Kuching, Sarawak.

“In the Telenisa Statistics and Findings 2023 report, we propose the establishment of a federal child support agency, a suggestion first made in 2005, to ensure children receive sufficient and timely support. Adequate and timely child support is crucial for their physical and mental development.”

Since its inception in 2003, the Telenisa legal helpline has become a cornerstone for rights-based advisory services concerning Islamic family laws and Sharia criminal offences laws in Malaysia.

Telenisa’s “Statistics and Findings 2023 report highlights several critical trends from 2021 to 2023, focusing on the primary grounds for divorce:

• Domestic violence: The most prevalent cause of divorce in 2023, accounting for 20% of cases
• Husbands did not provide maintenance: Ranking consistently high, this issue represented 19% of divorce cases in 2023
• Communications breakdown: A significant cause of marital dissolution, noted in 17% of cases in 2023
• Infidelity: Although slightly declining from 2022, infidelity accounted for 12% of divorces in 2023

Women face numerous challenges especially when navigating the Sharia courts system such as going through complex bureaucratic procedures, experiencing difficulties in gathering evidence, and facing lack of societal support, which leaves them feeling stressed and deters women from seeking justice.

Financial constraints further heighten these challenges as 99% of Telenisa clients were reported to have a lack of legal representation. The high cost of experienced syarie lawyers and limited resources from the government and NGOs forces many women to manage intricate legal processes on their own.

As failure of husbands to provide maintenance continues to be an issue, we recommend the following measures to address this, ensuring women receive fair and accessible justice:

• Education and awareness: Regularly conduct workshops and seminars to educate couples about their maintenance rights and responsibilities, and to provide clear and accessible information on the legal procedures for filing maintenance claims and understanding court orders
• Enhanced legal support: Offer legal aid services to assist wives in filing maintenance claims and following up on court orders, and simplify the reporting process for non-compliance with maintenance orders to minimise the need for additional interim applications
• Stricter enforcement: Strengthen enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance with court-ordered maintenance payments and establish a dedicated taskforce to track and penalise individuals who evade maintenance obligations by changing jobs or residences
• Financial assistance programmes: Develop financial assistance programmes for unemployed husbands to help them secure employment and fulfil their maintenance duties, and provide temporary financial support to wives struggling with household expenses due to non-compliance by their spouses
• Mandatory mediation and counselling: Encourage mandatory mediation and counselling services for couples facing maintenance disputes to resolve issues amicably and offer continual support and follow-up sessions to ensure compliance and address ongoing challenges
• Community support networks: Foster community support networks to provide emotional and financial assistance to wives facing maintenance issues, and engage community leaders and organisations to advocate for better maintenance compliance and to support affected families

SIS recognises the critical importance of child maintenance and has been a vocal advocate for the establishment of a child support agency since 2005. Such an agency would streamline the assessment, collection and disbursement of child support payments, transitioning the process from judicial to administrative.

The child support agency would also possess enforcement powers, including ensuring wage deductions, securing court orders and imposing penalties such as passport denials or licence revocations. This model, successfully implemented in countries such as Australia, has significantly improved compliance rates for child support payments.

The rising number of issues related to Islamic family law as reported in the Telenisa report highlights a critical need for ongoing reform and improvements in women’s rights within the family.

For over 30 years, SIS has tirelessly championed these causes and urged for a greater balance of Islamic family laws and Sharia criminal offences law following the most important tenets of Islam, which are justice, compassion and mercy.

The full report: Telenisa: Statistics and Findings 2023

*Telenisa provides free legal consultation on Islamic family law and Sharia criminal offences law through WhatsApp and telephone calls at 012-812 3424, or face-to-face consultations by appointment every Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm.

The views expressed in Aliran's media statements and the NGO statements we have endorsed reflect Aliran's official stand. Views and opinions expressed in other pieces published here do not necessarily reflect Aliran's official position.

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