Ain Husniza’s name first entered national consciousness when she was only 17, after she called out a teacher’s insensitive and inappropriate joke about sexual violence during class. Her decision to speak up sparked the viral hashtag #MakeSchoolASaferPlace, triggering a nationwide discussion about how schools handle harassment and student safety. What began as a simple TikTok video became a rallying cry for many young Malaysians.

Today, Ain is more than a symbol of student activism. She is the founder of Pocket of Pink, a youth-led organisation advocating for inclusive, comprehensive education, particularly around issues of consent and bodily autonomy. She is also an advisory board member with Comic Relief US, a former youth advisor with Purposeful and the Child Rights Innovation Fund, and a TEDx speaker who continues to amplify the voices of girls and children often left out of policy conversations. 

Her advocacy has taken her from local school halls to international platforms; yet, her mission remains grounded in a simple belief: education should be safe, inclusive, and empowering for all.

The Girl Who Grew Up in a Library

Before the headlines, Ain was just a curious kid from Shah Alam who spent her weekends at the local library. Her family didn’t have much, but her father made sure she and her siblings had access to books. “I could only borrow five books per card,” she said, “So I used all my siblings’ memberships and borrowed twenty books a week.”

Those hours spent reading weren’t just a pastime. They were her first window into the world beyond her immediate surroundings. Through novels, non-fiction, and everything in between, Ain discovered global issues, social justice movements, and perspectives far removed from what she saw around her. “If we didn’t live near that library,” she said, “I wouldn’t even be speaking to you in English like this.”



The internet played a parallel role. Growing up in a Malay-Muslim household, she noticed how narratives about certain communities were often skewed or divisive. Online, she found alternative viewpoints and stories that helped her form her own convictions about equality and rights. “I realised that every person deserves the same rights. And to me, that right is education.”

It was this early exposure to books, ideas, and different ways of thinking that laid the groundwork for the activist she would become.

A Campaign That Shook the Country

The incident happened in the middle of a classroom lesson. A male teacher made a crude comment, joking that sexual violence should be reserved for those over 18. Ain was stunned. Even more shocking was the silence. “It wasn’t just about what he said,” she later explained. “It was about how normal it was for everyone else.”

She went home and recorded a TikTok video, speaking plainly about what had happened. She didn’t expect it to go viral, but within hours, her words sparked a wave of responses from students nationwide. They began sharing their own experiences under the hashtag #MakeSchoolASaferPlace, revealing the deep-rooted culture of harassment, inappropriate behaviour, and systemic neglect in Malaysian schools.

What began as a moment of frustration quickly transformed into a national conversation. “When I spoke up, I was scared. But I realised I wasn’t just speaking for myself. I was speaking for every student who had been ignored, shamed, or silenced.”

The backlash was severe. Ain received threats, faced relentless harassment online, and was even called in for multiple rounds of questioning at the police station. The trauma ran deep. At one point, she shared that her family wouldn’t let her lock her bedroom door out of fear for her safety. “I thought if I failed my SPM, everything would be over,” she recalled. “People kept saying, ‘You’re disrespectful, you’ll never succeed.’ I had to prove them wrong, not just for me but for girls like me.”

Turning Advocacy into Education

Advocacy had pulled Ain into the spotlight, but it was art that helped her stay grounded. Before activism became her full-time calling, she was a teenager who loved to draw, especially people. “I like drawing them doing everyday things, like being at the supermarket or at the beach,” she said. “It’s how I de-stress.”

As a child, Ain spent her weekends at the Shah Alam public library, reading up to twenty books a week. Her love for knowledge, paired with a developing sense of justice, formed the foundation of who she would become. But it was art that helped her make sense of the chaos when things turned overwhelming. “Art is calming. It’s peaceful,” she explained. “When you're teaching kids about consent or boundaries, especially those who’ve experienced trauma, you need to make it feel safe.”



That belief became the cornerstone of Pocket of Pink, the youth-led organisation she founded in September 2024. Through its flagship programme Express2Empower, Pocket of Pink brings comprehensive sex education to children, blending facts with fun. One example is a body autonomy exercise that uses colouring sheets to help children express what parts of their body they’re comfortable with others touching. It’s visual, accessible, and rooted in empathy.

“I wanted to make comprehensive sex ed more palatable to our culture and more engaging for the youth,” Ain explained. “That meant combining it with art, joy-based activities, and interaction. It’s not about making it taboo. It’s about making it safe and understandable.”

With a team of over 20 young volunteers, Pocket of Pink has already reached more than 400 beneficiaries. Workshops are conducted in schools, and future plans include an exhibition showcasing student artwork. “We’re creating pockets of safety, threads of empowerment,” she said. “Every session is a step toward rewriting what education can look like.”

From Local Roots to Global Conversations

Ain’s activism didn’t stop at the school gates. What began as a national movement soon led her to global platforms: each one expanding her understanding of advocacy, policy, and community-led change. Through her involvement with Purposeful, a feminist collective supporting girls' organising worldwide, Ain joined monthly discussions about gender-based violence, rights, and the challenges faced by girls across different regions.

“For me, the platform they gave was truly priceless,” she said. “Even if you’re young or inexperienced, your opinion is still taken as seriously as someone who’s been in the scene for twenty years.”

Her experience with Purposeful opened doors to other international roles. With the Child Rights Innovation Fund (CRIF), Ain was part of the “What’s Possible Fund”—a global grantmaking initiative where youth advisors decided which grassroots projects deserved funding. “We had the autonomy to decide what’s important for us,” she said. “Rather than some big funder deciding what children need, we, as youth, made that call.”

She reviewed hundreds of applications and helped shortlist several Malaysian-led initiatives, contributing to the distribution of over one million US dollars in grants. “Youth deserve to be empowered,” she said. “We deserve to be in decision-making spaces.”

Today, she continues that work as an advisory board member with Comic Relief US, where she focuses on understanding how poverty affects young girls, especially in marginalised communities. Her current efforts centre around the Juntanza Fund in Africa, with lessons she hopes to bring home. 

Rising Above Uncertainty

Amid all this, Ain never stopped being a student. During the height of the backlash from #MakeSchoolASaferPlace, she was also preparing for SPM. She had just transferred to a new school on scholarship, and the pressure to succeed was immense. “If I didn’t get good results, I would have to work right after SPM. My family had no savings for education.” 

But the threats kept coming. She was called to the police station multiple times. She received messages almost daily—some deeply disturbing, others mocking her for speaking out. The emotional strain pushed her to the brink. “I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder,” she said. “There was a point when my dad wouldn’t let me lock the door to my room. If he heard a loud sound, he would immediately come in, thinking something had happened.”

She describes that period as one of her darkest. “I barely slept. I’d study one hour a night and spend the rest trying to stay sane.” But despite all that, she made it through. She passed her exams with flying colours and secured the scholarship she had feared she’d lose. “I had to prove it wrong,” she said. “Not just for me, but for the girls out there who feel like the world wants them to give up.”

Why She Keeps Going

Ain is currently pursuing a degree in Politics and International Relations at the University of Nottingham Malaysia. Even as she transitions into university life, her advocacy remains central to who she is. For her, education is not just a personal achievement but a platform for empowerment and equity.

She believes that access alone is not enough. What matters is the quality of education, the safety of the environment, and the inclusiveness of the system. “It doesn’t matter what nationality you are, what race you are, what gender you are—everyone should have access to education,” she said.

That belief continues to guide her as she juggles lectures, project deadlines, and community work. Whether speaking on global platforms or running workshops with Pocket of Pink, her goal is the same: to build a world where every child, especially every girl, feels seen, safe, and supported. “Education always comes back to the community, it lifts all of us.”