On **23 July 2026**, RHSTEP’s **Aparajeyo Tarunno (Unlocking Youth Potential) Chattogram Centre** organized a session titled **“Marginalized Groups in Health and SRHR Dialogue & Actions”** to strengthen awareness, participation and advocacy for equitable access to health and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).

The session was chaired by **Apu Dasgupta**, Project Officer, Aparajeyo Tarunno Chattogram Centre. **Md. Jasim Uddin**, Deputy Director, Social Services Office, Chattogram, and **Zuleikha Akter**, Assistant Professor, Mohsen Aulia Degree College, participated in the discussion. The session was moderated by **Mentor Tofa Tul Jannat**.

The speakers emphasized that strengthening the voices of marginalized communities is increasingly important for ensuring equitable access to healthcare and **sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)**.

Health is a fundamental human right, yet many marginalized groups continue to face barriers in accessing healthcare services and receiving essential SRHR-related information and support. These groups include **persons with disabilities, transgender and hijra communities, members of ethnic minority groups, working people, disadvantaged women, adolescents and other marginalized populations**.

The discussion highlighted how **social inequality, stigma, misconceptions, negative attitudes and lack of accurate information** can create significant barriers to healthcare and SRHR services. Participants emphasized that addressing these challenges requires collective action, greater awareness and meaningful participation of marginalized communities in health-related dialogue and decision-making.

The session also reinforced the importance of creating an inclusive environment where the experiences, concerns and voices of marginalized people are recognized and reflected in health and SRHR initiatives.

Through activities such as this, **RHSTEP’s Aparajeyo Tarunno (UYP)** continues to promote inclusive health discussions, strengthen community voices and encourage collaborative action toward reducing inequalities and ensuring that everyone can access essential health and SRHR information and services with dignity and equal opportunity.