Empowering the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Accessing Justice in the Shariah Courts of Malaysia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22373/w00cs481Keywords:
inadequate implementation, empower, rights, persons with disabilities, access to justice, Shariah Courts, MalaysiaAbstract
Persons with disabilities (PWD) face significant barriers in accessing justice in the Shariah Courts of Malaysia. Despite the existing legal frameworks designed to protect the rights of PWD, the implementation of these rights remains challenging. This study seeks (1) to analyse the status of PWD from the Islamic perspective, (2) to examine the Malaysian legal framework on the rights of PWD, (3) to explore the challenges encountered by the Shariah Courts in addressing legal proceedings involving PWD and (4) to propose recommendations for empowering the rights of PWD in accessing justice in the Shariah Courts of Malaysia. This research employs a qualitative study through library research and focus group discussion with five (5) Shariah Court officers from four (4) districts in Malaysia and examines four (4) court files. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify challenges encountered by the Shariah Courts in dealing with legal proceedings involving PWD as litigants and to propose recommendations based on the challenges identified. The study reveals that the absence of a specific law addressing PWD’s rights within the Shariah Courts hinders the full effectiveness of these protections, leading to challenges in implementation. It highlights the need for improvements including the establishment of specialized Standard Operating Procedures to assist the Shariah Courts in accommodating PWDs and enhancing coordination between the Shariah Courts and PWD-related agencies to ensure the effective realization of PWDs' rights to access justice in the Shariah Courts of Malaysia.
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Laws and Rules
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Federal Constitution 1957
Persons with Disabilities Act 2008
Syariah Court Civil Procedure (Federal Territories) Act 1998
Islamic Family Law (Federal Territories) Act 1984
Syariah Court Evidence (Federal Territories) Act 1997
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Mohd Saifuddin Othman, Senior Researcher cum former Judge, Shariah Court of Malacca, Malaysia.
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Aisah Saleh, Judge, Shariah Courts of Jasin & Sungai Rambai, Malaysia.
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-014-0048-2022
-055-0048-2022
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-055-0133-2019
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