Survivor's Voice Summit held in Dhaka

A day-long 'Survivor's Voice Summit 2026' was held in the capital Dhaka on Tuesday with the aim of increasing mental health awareness among the country's young generation, ensuring cyber security, and developing youth leadership. 

This special conference was held at the Bangladesh Shishu Academy Auditorium under the joint initiative of 'SRI Welfare Foundation' and 'Survivors Path'.

As the main attraction of the event, the special technological solution 'Mon barta App' and a 24/7 mental health helpline were officially inaugurated by the Principal Coordinator (SDG Affairs) of the Prime Minister's Office, Professor Dr. SM Abdul-Awal.

The organizers said that currently the young society of Bangladesh is facing mental health problems, cyber bullying, trauma, and various social pressures. In this critical situation, the opportunity for open discussion on mental health is very limited in our society due to social prejudice and lack of awareness. The summit is organized to remove these barriers and create a safe and empowering platform for youth, professionals, advocates and survivors. The main theme of this year's summit was 'Breaking Silence, Building Hope, Empowering Every Voice'.

Dr Sansila Jabrin Priyanka MP was present as the guest of honor in the second part of the conference. Sheikh Rifad Mahmud, Chairman of SRI Welfare Foundation, served as the convener of the event and Munjia Snigdha Moon, Chairman of Survivor's Path Foundation, was present as the chair. In addition, Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) Secretary General Dr. Md. Zahirul Islam Shakil, Dr. SK Farid Ahmed and Fahad Hossain were present as special guests.

The day-long event discussed in detail important issues such as protecting the mental health of young people, as well as cyber security and digital wellbeing, youth leadership and personal development, and networking. The main attraction of the summit was the special session 'Survivor Chronicles', which was a non-judgmental discussion and stories of the bravery of the victims. In addition, a special breakout session titled 'Formulating a Survivor's Manifesto' was held in the afternoon to highlight the policy demands of the youth to the government and stakeholders.

Two important panel discussions were held during the day-long event. The panelists in the Youth Development panel were Abdul Qayyum, Head of Communication, UNDP Bangladesh, Sheikh Rifad Mahmud, Munjia Snigdha Moon, and Mehedi Hasan. The session was moderated by Sanjida of BRAC University.

The Mental Health panel was discussed by renowned psychologist Dr. Atiqul Haque Majumder, researcher and policy analyst Mahdi-ul-Morshed, public health expert Moududul Hasan and Dr. A. K. M. Ahsan Habib Nafi. Moderated by Dr. Al Amin.

The organizers hope that this summit will increase mental health awareness among young people, strengthen their participation in social activities, and build a long-term strong network to protect the rights of survivors.