Rashifa Aljunied

Rashifa Aljunied is a tenacious activist who gained national attention for her advocacy for fairer intern rights in Malaysia. She has been a strong voice in calling for paid internships, asserting that interns are people who contribute to labour in an organisation and thus deserved to be compensated.

In March of this year, she and 17 other student groups and organisations passed a memorandum to YB Steven Sim, Human Resource Minister to state the demands of paid internships and enactment of laws that can help protect interns in Malaysia.

Despite facing public criticism and opposition, she pushes forward, highlighting the physically and financially demanding nature of internships that often go unpaid. Her activism has sparked conversations about the need for systemic changes in how interns are treated across various industries in Malaysia and have been featured in The Star, Malaysiakini, TV3, Astro Awani and The Washington Post.

In addition to her work on intern rights, Rashifa is deeply involved in the political advocacy sphere. She is passionate about empowering young people to take on leadership roles, particularly in areas related to governance and public policy, campaigning for improved mental healthcare in Malaysia with a focus accessibility to treatment and eradication of the stigma.

To me, impact is about recognising how our actions, big or small, can shape the people and environment around us. It is understanding and acknowledging the privilege that I have been granted, and how I can use it to try to make a change. Every act, whether it’s a kind gesture or a bold advocacy, creates a ripple that influences our community for the better.