KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 17 -- What can you do if your Shariah lawyer suddenly stops working on a case you've paid for, leaving you stranded in the Shariah courts?

This is an actual problem faced by many, particularly women, but there is a solution.

Women's rights group SIS Forum (Malaysia) said its free legal clinic, Telenisa, has encountered clients whose family law cases at the Shariah court were delayed due to unethical lawyers.

This compounded findings in its Telenisa 2024 report that fewer than one in 20 of the women who contacted the group for legal advice had secured the services of a lawyer.

"So, it's like a double whammy for women. First, you can't afford (a lawyer). When you can afford one, you face unethical lawyers, they take ...