The Human Rights Support Society (HRSS), in partnership with the Association of Workers for Alternative Rural Development (AWARD), has been implementing this project since 2021 to empower Bangladeshi youth to promote, protect, and advocate for human rights across the country.

Why This Project?

Bangladesh faces significant human rights challenges, including restrictions on freedom of expression, enforced disappearances, election-related violence, gender-based violence, and misuse of laws such as the Digital Security Act. Young people, who constitute a large portion of Bangladesh’s population, are often left without proper education on human rights or opportunities to engage in constructive activism, making them vulnerable to exploitation and misinformation.

Recognizing the power of youth as change-makers, this project was designed to:

• Build youth leadership in human rights activism.

• Create local watchdog networks for monitoring and reporting human rights violations.

• Promote human rights education and advocacy in schools, colleges, and communities.

• Contribute to building a more just, accountable, and democratic society in Bangladesh.

What We Do

Since its launch, the project has:

• Trained and organized youth in Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Sylhet, and Chattogram on human rights, fact-finding, documentation, and reporting.

• Formed monitoring groups in districts and sub-districts to track and document human rights violations.

• Conducted fact-finding missions on issues including political violence, extrajudicial killings, gender-based violence, and digital rights abuses.

• Held annual youth conferences and monthly district-level discussion meetings.

• Launched Human Rights Olympiads and awareness campaigns in colleges to build a culture of rights among youth.

Achievements So Far

• Hundreds of youth activists trained in human rights and equipped to act as local watchdogs.

• Formation of youth monitoring groups documenting and reporting violations in their communities.

• Documentation of numerous human rights violations, amplifying community voices and advocating for accountability.

• Creation of youth-led initiatives in universities and communities to raise awareness on human rights.

• Engagement with Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar to monitor human rights conditions.

• Sustained the project despite challenges such as bureaucratic barriers, resource constraints, and increasing restrictions on civic space.

Our Current Focus (2024–2026)

Building on our earlier phases, we are now:
✅ Mapping and activating 300+ youth volunteers for documentation and rights education.
✅ Hosting awareness campaigns and Olympiads in colleges to engage a broader youth audience.
✅ Deepening documentation efforts to address rising election violence, gender-based violence, and digital rights issues.
✅ Strengthening advocacy efforts to promote accountability and systemic change.

Impact Vision

By equipping youth with knowledge, skills, and opportunities to engage in rights-based activism, this project seeks to foster:

• A generation of human rights defenders.

• Communities resilient to rights violations.

• A strengthened culture of accountability and democratic values in Bangladesh.

Who We Are

The Human Rights Support Society (HRSS) is a Bangladesh-based human rights organization founded in 2014 and registered under the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms (RJSC) in 2016 (Reg. No: S-12473). HRSS has a proven track record in human rights education, documentation, and advocacy, working to promote a just society in Bangladesh.