Some 130 participants from the Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE) attended two PREPanita forums at the IBTE Nakhoda Ragam Campus.
The forums, organised by the Community Development Department (JAPEM) at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, were held in collaboration with various government agencies and non-governmental organisations.
The first forum, ‘Selamat Datang ke Dunia Pekerjaan’ (Welcome to the Working World), aimed to prepare students for the workforce. It also focused on raising awareness on sexual harassment in the workplace, women’s rights, and positive thinking and resilience.
Siti Zaharah binti Haji Abdul Razak from JAPEM moderated the session, with panellists including community development officer Siti Alifah binti Osman; special duties officer at the Youth Development Centre Anisa binti Haji Taib; and legal counsel and prosecuting officer at the Attorney General’s Chambers Sabrina binti Haji Mahmud.
Topics discussed included methods for managing workplace stress, achieving work-life balance, and various skill training programmes offered by the Youth Development Centre, such as agriculture and farming, paddy plantation, incubator programmes and artisan skills.
The second forum, ‘Communi-Kasih: Komunikasi Adalah Kunci Kebahagian’ (Communication is the Key to Happiness), also moderated by Siti Zaharah, addressed the importance of communication in handling personal issues, particularly sexual harassment.
Family advisor Salmah binti Haji Ahmad; Head of Women and Child Abuse Investigation Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department DSP Norkhatijah binti Haji Zainal; medical welfare officer at Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Hospital Dayangku Hajah Nurizni binti Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Sallehuddin; and founder of Bleed Safely, a social organisation dedicated to women’s health, Siti Zaimah binti Roslan were the panellists.
The session explored the role of men from an Islamic perspective, appropriate interactions between genders according to syari’at, and procedures for reporting and addressing cases of violence or threats against women. – Rokiah Mahmud
