Truth & Healing Alliance (THA)
A nationwide civil society platform advancing a comprehensive, victim-centred truth and healing process in Bangladesh.
About the Alliance
As part of Human Rights Development Centre-HRDC’s strategic priorities on transitional justice and survivor-centred rehabilitation, HRDC has established the Truth & Healing Alliance (THA), a nationwide civil society platform designed to advance a comprehensive, victim-centred truth and healing process in Bangladesh. THA brings together civil society organisations (CSOs), community-based organisations (CBOs), Media, human rights defenders, legal practitioners, and survivor groups to coordinate joint advocacy, documentation, and dialogue initiatives. The Truth and Healing Alliance envisions a just and inclusive Bangladesh, free from discrimination, where truth, accountability, and healing are guaranteed for all survivors of human rights abuses. Its mission is to build a democratic and peaceful society in which survivors and victims’ live with dignity, and where their human rights and social justice are respected, protected, and fully realized. The Alliance responds to longstanding gaps in accountability, persistent impunity, and the unmet rehabilitation needs of survivors of torture, enforced disappearances, and other serious human rights violations.
1. Healing
Support holistic recovery- physical, mental, social, and spiritual, for survivors and affected communities.
2. Truth & Accountability
Advance truth-seeking and accountability through documentation, analysis of violations, and appropriate justice processes.
3. Rehabilitation
Deliver victim-centred rehabilitation, including reparations, psychosocial support, grievance redress, and memorialization.
4. Transformation
Promote inclusive, long-term change by addressing root causes and advancing peace, justice, and social cohesion.
It adopts a trauma-informed and do-no-harm approach, ensuring that survivor safety, dignity, and participation remain central to all interventions.
Strategic Approach & Roadmap
THA implements a structured, four-phase national roadmap to inform the design of a future Truth and Healing Commission.
Individual Consultations
One-on-one engagement with survivors, victims' families, and CSOs to document testimonies, identify patterns of violations, and assess needs for justice and rehabilitation.
Local Healing Circles
Community-based dialogues at village and district levels across all 64 districts, creating safe spaces for acknowledgement, collective healing, and trust-building.
Divisional Dialogues
Multi-stakeholder consultations across all eight divisions to consolidate regional perspectives and develop policy inputs.
National Dialogue
A culminating platform in Dhaka to present a nationally grounded, decolonial and restorative framework for a Truth and Healing Commission.
Strategic Contributions
Systematic documentation of human rights violations, in line with international standards such as the United Nations Convention Against Torture (UNCAT) & the Istanbul Protocol, ensuring credible, ethically collected, and survivor-centred evidence that can inform justice processes, advocacy efforts, and access to redress, while safeguarding confidentiality and the principle of do no harm
Evidence-based advocacy for the establishment of a Truth and Healing Commission, grounded in survivor testimonies, field-level consultations, and nationally aggregated findings, to influence policy discourse and support the development of a legitimate, inclusive, and contextually relevant transitional justice mechanism
Strengthening survivor-centred rehabilitation, including psychosocial support, referral mechanisms, and access to comprehensive reparative measures, with a focus on holistic recovery that addresses physical, psychological, social, and economic needs while restoring dignity and agency
Promoting institutional reform and accountability mechanisms, through sustained policy engagement, legal advocacy, and multi-stakeholder dialogue aimed at addressing structural gaps, strengthening oversight systems, and preventing the recurrence of torture and other human rights violations
Fostering social cohesion and national reconciliation through inclusive and participatory dialogue processes at community, regional, and national levels, creating safe spaces for acknowledgement, trust-building, and collective healing among diverse groups affected by violence and exclusion
Governance Structure
The Core Group (Executive Body) comprises representatives of founding and member organisations, providing overall strategic direction and oversight.
The Chairperson leads the Alliance and represents it externally. The Member Secretary manages day-to-day coordination and communication.
THA follows a participatory and consensus-based decision-making approach, ensuring transparency, accountability, and collective ownership across all levels.
Get in Touch
If you would like to learn more about the Truth and Healing Alliance and its work, feel free to contact us. We welcome your interest and look forward to connecting with you.