Using a Letter Writing Campaign to Defend Individuals at Risk
Each year, hundreds of thousands of people in more than 200 countries come together for a global letter writing marathon for human rights.
Persuasion
(Our Salary in the Bank) Tactic, Ensure that private-school teachers obtain their rights - part of "Stand Up with the Teacher" campaign
In order to ensure the rights of private-school teachers in terms of receiving the minimum wage requirement and summer months salaries, “Stand Up with the Teacher” campaign was established in 2015 with the support of the National Committee for Pay Equity (NCPE) and organized by the Ahl Foundation. The campaign has achieved several successes until 2017 when they lunched the #our_salary_in_the_bank hashtag which began as an online campaign on the 25th of September 2017. It ended with a sit-in of private-school female teachers in front of the Ministry of Education and resulted in transferring teachers’ salaries to bank accounts or electronic wallets is compulsory for all private schools.
Creating a fake wedding company and exhibit booth to highlight issues surrounding celebratory gunfire
To combat the use of gun shows at weddings, the Permanent Peace Movement created a fake service company called "Eleguns" to be exhibited at the largest wedding fair in Beirut, Lebanon. The purpose of Eleguns is to create awareness on the lethality and illegality of having such celebratory gunfire.
The Redirect Method: Disrupting Extremist Recruitment Online
A leading group of private industry developers cultivated a plan to create and disseminate targeted anti-extremist online content to disrupt online terrorist recruitment efforts. Since the pilot program’s initial success in targeting ISIS recruits, this method has been further utilized to counter other extremist groups such as the violent far right.
Establishing a new custom to protect girls and transform societal norms
Modifying societal beliefs and norms are most successful when the change comes from within the community. Such a transformation is now happening after the birth of every girl in the village of Piplantri in Rajasthan, India. Villagers plant one hundred eleven (111) trees to honor the birth of the girl. The new custom aims to counteract the prevalence of female feticide by encouraging parents and villagers to plant trees in honor of a female child. It requires that parents promise to not marry their female child before adulthood, creates a community-funded trust fund for the child, and provides the community with the necessary resources to develop. Villagers have planted over 286,000 trees which are now providing not only a new tradition but environmental sustainability. In addition, villagers have planted over 2.5 million aloe vera plants which protect the trees and provide a source of livelihood. As a result, the ratio of girls to boys in Piplantri village has increased and girls are being given an equivalent position to boys in the village. The Piplantri 111 Trees has now spread to surrounding villages, broadening the respect and protection for girls.
Using Mass Protests to Publicize Issues and Galvanize Change
Public gatherings or rallies have long been used as a form of protest against autocratic regimes or to draw attention to a particular issue, cause or inequity. Communication through modern technology has made it easier to mobilize people into participating in mass global protests. The main intent behind a mass protest on a global scale is to draw international attention on a particular issue. The following mass global protests provide examples highlighting this tactic to advance such diverse issues as climate change, inequality, and electoral reform.
Building a coalition to preserve the right to public access to beaches
The Royal Marine Conservation Society of Jordan (JREDS) engaged over 70 organizations and 2300 people to build a coalition of experts and civil society organizations to intervene in the rapidly depleting coast line and preserve the right of the Jordanian people to access public beaches.
Examining budgets to reveal social and economic inequities and persuade the government to rectify them
The Children’s Budget Unit (CBU) at the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) uses national and provincial budgets to reveal whether the government is meeting its commitments in protecting the rights of children and to provide recommendations.
For more information on this tactic, read our in-depth case study.
Engaging local leaders to use their influence to help end abuse
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice in Ghana solicits the support of respected community leaders — chiefs and queen mothers — to address the problem of trokosi, a system in which women and young girls are kept in fetish shrines without their consent. Families give their girls to the shrines to atone for the sins or crimes committed by a family member, and to thereby end or reverse a family’s bad luck.
For more information on this tactic, read our in-depth case study.
Building collaborative relationships with government officials to promote change from within the system
Citizens’ Watch identifies democratic Russian officials who are supportive of human rights and reform and provides them with opportunities to strengthen democratic processes in Russia. The legacy of Soviet rule and totalitarianism left extremely challenging conditions for the development of democracy in Russia. Government officials had no experience in being responsive to the public, an essential practice in a democracy.
For more information on this tactic, read our in-depth case study.
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Resource Library: Tools for Action
Resource Library: Tools for Action
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