Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Department of Women Affairs (Jhewa) remains committed to ensuring gender equality in its 2030 Agenda, supporting women in leadership positions and ending all forms of discrimination and violence against women and young girls.
Its Director, Haslina Ismail, highlighted women have tremendous potential to bring about a wave of change which can be felt in all levels of society, leading to stronger economic growth and socio-cultural advancement.
“It is proven that educated and competitive women enhance economic growth, and in terms of social advancement, women take up leadership positions in the community and play a pivotal role in education, politics and health sectors,” she said.
Speaking at Jhewa’s recent Synergy Night event, Haslina stressed the importance of increasing women’s full and effective participation in leadership and eliminating discrimination against women and young girls.
“This mission is not only a moral duty, but also a necessity to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth in the way forward,” she said.
The event, which gathered women leaders and organisations in the state, was officiated by Assistant Minister for Community Development and People’s Welfare, Flovia Ng.
According to Haslina, more than 180 women’s NGOs are registered with Jhewa in the State, reflecting the growing number of registered NGOs.
“This year, the handover of grants to 32 registered NGOs under Jhewa signalled the increased participation of women NGOs from different districts working with Jhewa as change agents in their respective communities,” she added.
This year’s event also saw the presentation of grants to women’s NGOs and the launch of the official Jhewa song.
Haslina noted that this year’s grant distribution would focus more on gender issues, domestic violence and mental health to create awareness among all segments of society, especially women.
She noted the handover of grants more emphasis on gender issues, tackling domestic violence and mental health, which aims to raise awareness among all members of society, especially women.
“As individuals and members of society, we must continue to strive to support the advancement of women in all aspects –education, health, social and political.
Let us unite in this effort to ensure that women’s voices are heard and recognised, which is the mission of Jhewa,” she said.
In her opening remarks, Flovia said the ministry fully supports Jhewa’s mission of women empowerment in the state and that the state government is committed to working with Jhewa to promote excellence among women in all spheres – economic, health, education, political and socio-cultural.
She noted that the Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Hajiji Haji Noor, had announced an allocation of RM1.5 million for women’s associations and non-governmental organisations for the year 2025.
“This is a very positive development because with a larger allocation, it would have a greater impact,” said Flovia, who urged NGOs to work with Jhewa to contribute to women-related programmes in the mission to achieve women’s empowerment.
“With every accomplishment, the path to women’s empowerment should be constantly refined to ensure that more women can succeed,” she said.
In addition, Flovia said the State government’s Hala Tuju Roadmap emphasizes human resource development and people’s welfare, while focusing on enhancing knowledge, intellectual capacity and quality human capital.
