Social injustice is a heavy topic, encompassing a world of tragedies that and one that not many often choose to take upon themselves to participate in due to this overwhelming feeling of insignificance; that no matter what you do, even if you tried, would barely scratch the surface of making a difference in the grand scheme of things.
But not to Aegile Fernandez.
A renowned human rights activist, she was a shining beacon of hope and a warrior that saw no war more worth fighting for.
Her journey began when she was but 16-years of age, a time where most would be giggling over boys or fussing over details that wouldn’t matter years later. At a promising age, Aegile was taking her first steps towards what would become a life-long fight towards human rights and social freedom. In fact, what she set herself up in doing was well in line with what we see today in the Sustainability and Development Goals or SDGs of the United Nations envisioned for 2030 which were adopted by the General Assembly in 2015.
In 1991, she and her sister Irene co-founded Tenanganita, dedicated to advocating for migrants, refugees, women and children, giving a voice to those who had none. As the director, she lobbied against numerous social causes from fighting for female factory and plantation workers, who were suffering from a gross violation of rights, addressing HIV/AIDS related health and safety issues to bringing to light the exploitation of sex workers and human trafficking.
Although their fight started long before, she proved to be a force to be reckoned with when it came to the causes she believed in. She would fight. She would speak. She would brave whatever obstacles came her way all in the name of equality and justice, heralding an age of social activism and dedication to eradicating human rights violations of the marginalised in Malaysia.
We as Malaysians and as a society celebrate her legacy and the mark she’s left behind over the last 30 years. Through her sheer commitment, she paved the stepping stones towards equality, justice and freedom for generations to follow, inspiring a new wave of female activists and warriors to take a stand and continue the fight for a world free of discrimination.
If you want to do your part in fighting the good fight, please consider making a donation to survivors of trafficking in honour of Aegile by logging on to http://www.tenaganita.net for more details and on the amazing work Aegile, Irene and the other members of Tenanganita have done.
