Kota Kinabalu: State Women, Health and People’s Wellbeing Minister Datuk Julita Majungki said the State Government would continue strengthening efforts to protect women’s rights and wellbeing, particularly through legal literacy programmes targeting women in rural areas.
Hence, legal literacy programmes will continue so that women, particularly those in rural areas, are aware of their rights and know where to seek protection.
“Jhewa provides such services through the Women’s Legal Aid Centre (PBGW), in which a total of 889 cases were handled by the centre from 2018 to July 2026, while 1,237 clients had received services involving 1,625 cases.
“An empowered woman knows her rights, has confidence in her abilities and knows that she does not have to face a problem alone. Therefore, legal aid, legal literacy, emotional support and strategic networks will continue to be strengthened,” she said.
“On women’s economic empowerment, Jhewahad helped 6,952 women across the State through entrepreneurship programmes between 2022 and 2026.
“The programmes included skills training, product promotion and marketing, equipment assistance, packaging and labelling grants, as well as various entrepreneurship workshops.
“This commitment is further supported by an allocation of RM8.24 million under the Sabah State Budget to Jhewa, for which we are thankful to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Haji Noor and the State Government for their continued support in ensuring that the women’s development agenda remains strengthened,” she said.
Julita also highlighted the role of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), with 215 NGOs registered under Jhewa.
From 2025 to 2026, she said Jhewa implemented 124 collaborative programmes with NGOs, while the State Government allocated RM1.5 million in 2025 to support programmes with an impact on development, including women’s NGO empowerment initiatives.
She said MPWS also played an important role in strengthening the State’s women’s development and empowerment agenda by providing views and recommendations to ensure policies and programmes remained inclusive and responsive to current needs.
“Several initiatives had also been introduced to strengthen women’s leadership, including the Sabah Women’s Lab and Glow@Sabah – Global Women Leaders of Sabah, which focused on three key areas – leadership, education and the economy – with collaborations involving the Razak School of Government, North Borneo University (NBU), Agrobank and Bank Rakyat.
“The Sabah Women’s Leadership Academy (Akwan), jointly emphasised by MPWS and Jhewa, had also been implemented across three cohorts involving 1,215 participants.
“Akwan focuses on developing grassroots, young, political and Government-Linked Company (GLC) women leaders through basic, intermediate and advanced levels,” she said, adding that since certification began in 2023, a total of 379 participants had successfully obtained certification.
She called on the Government, private sector, NGOs and communities to work together to create an ecosystem that provides women with greater opportunities to advance.
“To all women in Sabah, never doubt your abilities. Do not be afraid to dream big, do not be afraid to try and never think that you are too small to make a difference.
“Let us continue to elevate women, strengthen families, empower communities and build a more prosperous, inclusive and competitive Sabah,” she said.
