25 WOMEN LEADERS SELECTED FOR PERANTIS 2024 GRANTS - NANCY

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 (Bernama) -- A total of 25 accomplished women from various professional backgrounds have been selected to receive grant allocations through the Women Leadership Apprenticeship Programme (PERANTIS) 2024.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the initiative enabled these women to implement leadership development programmes in their respective fields.

She said all 25 recipients would be awarded certificates and grant allocations on Nov 27.

"We aim to identify women leaders, and many showed interest. The response was excellent. The selection was not judged by us; the assessors were from external parties.

"As for those who applied but were not selected, we will try to contact them again next year, God willing. We plan to begin early next year because this programme only started two or three months ago," she told reporters.

Nancy was met at the "Afternoon with the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development" event, held in collaboration with the Malaysian Women Journalists Association (PERTAMA) here today.

Also present were Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) CEO Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin, PERTAMA president Sariha Mohd Ali, Bernama Deputy Editor-in-Chief (News Services) Nasriah Darus, who is also PERTAMA's deputy president, and Bernama English Subs Desk chief Nor Hasliza Abdullah, who serves as the association's secretary, along with about 100 women media practitioners.

Nancy said the PERANTIS programme, introduced under the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, aimed to nurture more women leaders, especially in decision-making roles, to guide society toward a progressive and competitive nation.The programme prioritises the development of women's leadership skills in areas such as economics, politics, social issues, law, education, health, security, welfare, and other relevant professional fields.

Earlier, during the event, Nancy presented anti-sexual harassment plaques to Nur-ul Afida and 19 other women media practitioners as a symbolic gesture for the media's role in promoting anti-sexual harassment initiatives.

Meanwhile, in efforts to combat sexual harassment among women media practitioners, Sariha, who is also a news editor at Berita Harian, emphasised the importance of reporting such incidents immediately and taking appropriate action.

“We often work in the field and interact with many individuals. Unfortunately, some media practitioners face sexual harassment, including from people we interview.

“This should not happen because, as frontliners, we understand that such acts are unacceptable. Let us all remember that these actions can lead to prosecution. As media practitioners, we are responsible for spreading awareness on this issue,” she said.

PERTAMA was established in 1971 by the late Sharifah Azah Syed Mohammad Alsagoff, also known as Azah Aziz in the media fraternity. PERTAMA is the country's oldest association representing women media personnel.

-- BERNAMA