Exercise 1: Research_Kong Li Yen 0139172

 

NGO: Tenaganita

A. A brief introduction to Tenaganita

Q1: What is Tenaganita?

Answer= Tenaganita is a Malaysian human rights organisation dedicated in assisting, building, advocating and protecting migrants, refugees, women and children from exploitation, abuse, discrimination, slavery and human trafficking.

 

Q2: When was it founded?

Answer= In the 1980s, women worker groups were largely found to be employed in plantation and the manufacturing sectors. As their economy was flourishing, the early 1990s also invited an influx of migrant workers. Workers were exploited and suffered from gross violation of their rights. Their saw a huge need with these worker groups as they grew in numbers, and struggle to survive in the country. Although they work had started a decade earlier, Tenaganita only came to be in year 1991.

 

Q3: Why was Tenaganita created?

Answer= It began from struggles of plantation and industrial women workers seeking decent wages and protection from discrimination and gender violence.

 

Q4: Who founded Tenaganita?

Answer= Dr Irene Fernandez and activists established it in 1991 to champion rights of marginalized workers.

 

Q5: Where is Tenaganita located?

Answer= Headquartered at 12, Jalan 6/11, Seksyen 6, 46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

 

B. The organization’s evolution journey

Q6: How has Tenaganita expanded since inception?

Answer= It evolved from worker rights advocacy to include anti-trafficking, legal aid, refugee programs, community empowerment, sheltering survivors, and livelihood models.

 

Q7: When did its anti-trafficking work begin?

Answer= Around 1993, adopting a prevention intervention recovery approach.

 

Q8: How did leadership evolve post-founder’s passing?

Answer= After Dr Fernandez’s death in 2014, Executive Director Glorene A. Das took over, steering programs for migrants, refugees, and women.

 

Q9: What is Tanma Federation?

Answer= A refugee-led fair-trade cooperative for Burmese women offering livelihoods, skills and empowerment since 2010.

 

C. The organization’s core cause, including which Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) does the organization represent

Q10: What are Tenaganita’s main focus areas?

Answer= Migrant and refugee protection, anti-trafficking, legal and psycho-social aid, women's shelters, fair-trade livelihood, and business accountability.

 

Q11: Which SDGs do they address?

Answer= SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice & Institutions).

 

Q12: Who benefits from Tenaganita’s work?

Answer= Migrant workers, refugees, trafficked women/children, domestic workers, and women in crisis including those living with HIV and AIDS.

 

Q13: What sectors of discrimination does the NGO address?

Answer= Exploitation, abuse, slavery, human trafficking, civil rights violations including violence in homes and detention centers.

 

D. The mission and vision of the organization

Q14: What is Tenaganita’s mission?

Answer= They seek and strive to promote and protect the rights and dignity of all women, migrants and refugees while creating spaces collectively to achieve their full potential and liberation in a globalised world.

 

Q15: What is Tenaganita’s vision?

Answer= They hope for a just, free, democratic and sustainable society where all people are equal with dignity and rights.

 

E. A SWOT analysis on the organization

Q16: What are its strengths?

Answer= Deep grassroots presence, broad program coverage, legal partnerships, refugee-led livelihoods, shelters, anti-trafficking leadership.

 

Q17: What weaknesses does Tenaganita face?

Answer= Reliance on project-based funding limits reach and sustainability.

 

Q18: What opportunities are available?

Answer= Innovative tools (e.g., app), rising migrant advocacy, fair-trade growth, and cross-sector partnerships.

 

Q19: What are major threats?

Answer= Policy crackdowns, xenophobia, data privacy issues, app-user engagement, and tech-app sustainability challenges.

 

F. The organization’s latest creative campaigns (last 2 years)

Q20: What is the “Be My Protector” app?

Answer= Launched in April 2018 with Change Your World, it's SEA's first trafficking-reporting app (8 languages, photos, anon. reports).

 

Q21: How was the app concept developed?

Answer= Based on a 2015 campaign in Selangor have more than 200 volunteers reached 500,000 social media users and engaged more than 30 000 participants across 11 locations.

 

Q22: What features does the app offer?

Answer= Crowd-sourced reporting, location detection, alerts, news updates, and hotlines; available in eight languages.

 

Q23: What are the results so far?

Answer= 400 reports since 2018, 100 in 2020, challenges include low uptake during pandemic, and reflecting broader tech limitations.

 

Q24: How are reports handled?

Answer= Verified reports are investigated by Tenaganita and forwarded to police and authorities.

 

Q25: What COVID‑19 response initiatives?

Answer= In 2020, food relief delivered grocery aid more than 2,200 migrant and refugee families in Klang Valley.

 

Q26: What partnerships support Tenaganita’s campaigns?

Answer= Collaborations with Change Your World, Selangor government, Malaysian Bar Council, and UN-related and CSR partners.

 

Individual Reflection

Through this project, I learned about Tenaganita’s important role in protecting migrant workers, refugees, and trafficked women in Malaysia. Their work covers legal aid, shelter, and human rights advocacy.

I was inspired by the story of founder Irene Fernandez and how the organization uses tools like the “Be My Protector” app to fight human trafficking in modern ways.

This project helped me understand how NGOs support global goals and make a real difference in local communities. It also helps me improve my critical thinking skills and research skills.

 

APA reference list

1.       Asia Thinkers. (n.d.). Tenaganita protecting & promoting rights… Retrieved from https://asiathinkers.com/tenaganita-protecting-promoting-rights-of-women-migrants-refugees-in-malaysia-interview-with-glorene-a-das-executive-director-tenanagita-womens-force/

 

2.       AppBrain. (n.d.). Be My Protector for Android. Retrieved from https://www.appbrain.com/app/be-my-protector/com.bemyprotector

 

3.       Be My Protector. (n.d.). About. Retrieved from https://bemyprotector.com/

 

4.       Commonwealth of Nations. (n.d.). Tenaganita… Retrieved from https://commonwealthofnations.org/organisations/tenaganita__a_woman_and_migrant_workers_rights_organization/

 

5.       DevelopmentAid. (n.d.). Tenaganita (Women’s Force)… Retrieved from https://www.developmentaid.org/organizations/view/80344/tenanganita-womens-force

 

6.       Edge Malaysia. (n.d.). Stop hunting down migrants… Retrieved from https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/97982

 

7.       Freedom United. (2018, April 19). “Be My Protector”: Southeast Asia’s first anti-trafficking app. Retrieved from https://www.freedomunited.org/news/protector-southeast-asias-first-anti-trafficking-app/

 

8.       Hati.my. (n.d.). Tenaganita. Retrieved from https://www.hati.my/tenaganita/

 

9.       Maukerja. (n.d.). Tenaganita Sdn Bhd Company Overview… Retrieved from https://www.maukerja.my/en/company/tenaganita-sdn-bhd

 

10.  Ngobase. (n.d.). Tenaganita, Petaling Jaya… Retrieved from https://ngobase.org/profile/21110

 

11.  RESPECT International. (n.d.). Be My Protector. Retrieved from https://respect.international/be-my-protector/

 

12.  Tenaganita. (n.d.). Our story. Retrieved from https://tenaganita.net/our-story/

 

13.  Tenaganita. (n.d.). Our work. Retrieved from https://tenaganita.net/our-work/

 

14.  Wired. (2021, February 16). Anti‑human trafficking apps were meant to save lives. They're failing. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/story/human-trafficking-apps-fail

 

15.  Wikipedia. (n.d.). Irene Fernandez. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irene_Fernandez