Jahai Voices of Malaysia: Exploring Indigenous Women Empowerment and Sustainable Development in the Royal Belum State Park

Abstract

Social development is a key pillar of sustainable development. Sustainability is linked not only to the environment, but also to the social and economic surroundings, forming the three pillars that aim to ensure the integrity of the world and to raise the standard of living. The Jahai tribes are an indigenous people or Orang Asli in Malaysia. It is important to identify the role and contribution of Jahai women in their community. The needs, desires and interests of indigenous men and women differ from one another as they have their own respective roles and responsibilities. The roles and contributions in Jahai women should be able to empower them and give Malaysian a better perspective of Jahai women in Royal Belum State Park, Malaysia. Therefore, this paper explores the Jahai tribe women roles and contributions toward sustainable development in Royal Belum State Park. This study employs a qualitative case study which includes in-depth interview and focus group interview for data collection. The research study was based on Transnational Feminist Theory (TFT) approach that can be used to assess the current environment concerning recognition of gender-based persecution. This study reveals that Jahai women play a significant role in supporting the sustainable development in Royal Belum. This scholarly discovery may benefit us to understand how the indigenous women can contribute towards sustainable development and provide insight into the strategies that the relevant authorities may take the initiatives for helping the country to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs).