World Democracy Assembly Update

The Fourth Assembly of the World Movement Democracy in Istanbul was a great success, bringing together human rights practitioners and civil society representatives from across the globe to share their stories and their insights. New Tactics in Human Rights hosted three workshops in collaboration with our partner organization, the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly, and nine presenters from our network.

April 4, 2006

Functional Workshop–New Tactics in Human Rights Network

19 participants from 10 countries: Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Belgium, Columbia, Cameroon, DRC, Israel, Krygystan, Turkey, USA. Most of the participants were newcomers to the network.

Report by Tolekan Ismailova:

            Representatives of different regions took part in this workshop. The main topic of the discussion was status quo of situation with human rights (for example, torture) despite all the  efforts of human rights defenders at local and international levels.  Executive Director of CVT gave complete picture of situation with torture.   He said that torture cases are increasing year by year and there are not enough new tactics and strategies in changing the situation.  Previously human rights movement used only three types of tactics.  First of which was developing international norms, investigation of system of conventions, agreements and standards.  Second one was monitoring compliance to these norms.  Third one was criticizing states’ action or inaction which violated these norms.

            With time these tactics started demanding new approaches and solutions, development of infrastructure, use of new technology and professional staff.  As an example for this we can use the case of Amnesty International when it launched its third campaign against torture.  They concluded that the issue of torture is as important and relevant as in 1974 when the first global campaign against torture was launched.  This was also confirmed by human rights defender from Azerbaijan Leyla Ynus.  She gave facts of torture and said that there is not enough attention from international organizations for post-election violations and use of torture by officials.  She emphasized that it is necessary to have support of network of human rights organizations in such situations.

Human rights defender from Uzbekistan Tamara Chikunova suggested to unite efforts of human rights defenders’ network  in changing legislative base on torture prevention.  Tamara also suggested to unite network efforts in order to lobby changes in the legislation in post-Soviet countries so that medical conclusion made by a doctor after an examination can be taken as an evidence of use of torture against the convicted person.  According to her, "currently courts do not accept such medical conclusions.  Tortured convicts are not transferred to prisons and kept in detention centers until signs of torture become invisible."   Tamara also suggested to use New Tactics in post-Soviet countries  through network for prevention of torture.  She said that the definition of the word "torture" should be widened and psychological and moral tortures should also be included.    It is necessary to change the practice of giving medical conclusion about sanity and insanity of the convict.

            Turkish colleagues emphasized the importance of having an effective network that will set as criteria future cooperation and support for each other.   

            Eric Chenoweth brought as an example following network principles of Centre of Pluralism Network:

• Openness
• Pluralism
• Non-imposition
• Informal (no organization)

            Tolekan Ismailova from Kyrgyzstan supported these principles because often networks set-up by donors create more problems, conflicts, barriers, and divisions in human rights network.  Tolekan emphasized that New Tactics network is very good, because one can choose to adapt new instruments that can be effective for local network.  It is possible to be effective in protection of human rights using New Tactics and without allocating any money for it. 

            Columbian human rights activist also gave examples of innovative approaches they used in their work after New Tactics Symposium in Ankara.  

            Nancy from CVT remembered how New Tactics network was created.  More than 600 well-known human rights activists participated at New Tactics Symposium in Ankara in 2004.   The New Tactics in Human Rights Project was created to promote methods of tactical innovations, strategic thinking and collaborations among diverse rights advocates worldwide, thus enabling them to be more effective in addressing the broad range of human rights issues. As a result of this project achievements to date, as well as new opportunities and lessons learned from project partners and participants.  The focus in 2006 was to connect and inform practitioners with enhanced methods of communication; Develop, translate and distribute project products and materials; Increase program and technical support to local NGO initiatives; Conduct additional country specific and regional workshops; Consult and collaborate with project partners and continue On- Line discussion Workshops.

Human Rights activist from Afghanistan also expressed their interest in participating in New Tactics network focusing on changes in gender issues in Afghanistan. 

            In conclusion participants thanked New Tactics project for new approaches and expressed their interest and readiness for future network cooperation in order to prompt human rights activists to think strategically, to expand their tactics dictionary using opportunities for innovative work in order to conduct effective work on local and international levels.

April 4, 2006

Tactics and Strategies in Human Rights Struggles: Exploring Adaptability

Rapporteur: Gokce Gunel

Moderator: Lale Tayla

This workshop provided an opportunity for a thirty-eight participants to share their valuable experiences implementing tactics and strategies in their human rights struggles through the utilization of the New Tactics materials, tools and methodologies by adapting these for the advancement of their human rights efforts. The New Tactics material has stemmed from the New Tactics Symposium on Human Rights, which brought together activists from around the world in order to share the kinds of tactics that they have used in regards to various human rights violations. The goal is to exhibit the tactics used around the world so that activists can be inspired by the methods that have been used by others. This workshop can be perceived as a micro form of the previous New Tactics symposium.

Presentations:

1. Rebecca Z. Sako-John, Nigeria–LEAD:

After participating in the New Tactics Rebecca Sako-John from Nigeria has realized that they lack national coordination of activists. Not everyone was eager to share work. They wish that this initial network spirals into a national network. Also, they organized programs to reach the grass roots and elaborated on the importance of sharing. They offer trainings for grassroots and also seek to empower women and change their position in public life. LEAD is currently implementing a New Tactics NED supported grant to translate New Tactics thinking and tactical experiences into local languages for radio outreach to communities.

2. Rolly Rosen, Israel – Shatil

Rolly Rosen, an organizational consultant from Shatil in Israel, participated in the New Tactics symposium as a coincidence. There she saw the significance of strategic thinking and mapping. Afterwards, she was involved in activities working to improve the role of civil society in times of conflict. During one of these activities, she came across a group that worked for the rights of detainees from Palestine. The mapping strategy helped them understand that they may benefit from allying with the soldiers that are also against maltreatment of detainees. This was enlightening. However, it is not clear whether this tactic will be applied, as it requires a total change of identity on the side of the NGO.

3. Maina Kiai, Kenya – National Human Rights Commission

Maina Kiai from Kenya talked about two problems that they constantly face in Kenya: transitional justice and ethnic impunity. After hearing about the museum of consciousness, he returned to his country ready to begin preparing a traveling museum. This museum helps bring out how everyone has contributed in the struggle for independence, and assists in nation building while eliminating ethnic rivalries. Kenya requires common linkages, and it requires transparency of the government, Kiai argues. "We are going to exhibit modern Kenyan history as a preventative measure to human rights violations and for nation building" says Kiai.

Discussion:

1. Andrey Yurov from Russia – Youth Human Rights Movement

"We have excellent programs on civic education, but we are unable to describe these acts in a methodical way. The development of the new tactics provided an impetus for further organization and communication" Yurov says when elaborating on the significance of New Tactics. He proposes that there should be further networks produced at a smaller level, for instance, a Black Sea network that shares tactics could be practical. "If we do not organize and communicate we can’t project ourselves into the future and this is unacceptable. We must make our experience available to other countries".

2. Tolekan Ismailova from Kyrgyzstan – Civil Society Against Corruption

After participating in the symposium, Civil Society Against Corruption has managed to produce a documentary on the lives of refugees, creating awareness about the situation of women and children in the camps. They have fought for the right of peaceful protest. Eventually, they have achieved this right. Following from that, there were peasants protests against gold mines. "Right now we are working to stop the gold mine from functioning" Ismailova says. When explaining their future foci, Ismailova notes "The prison system in Kyrgyzstan is still the old one, we wish to improve the jail conditions by changing that".

Question & Answers:

1.      A major discussion was on the methods to disseminate information under circumstances where there is no access to freedom of press. The proposals were various. There was a proposal of a traveling theatre, an Internet radio and of underground newspapers.

2.      Afterwards, the idea of sharing was questioned: It is good to share what we have done, but should we not focus on what we have not been able to do? Why things have gone wrong at certain instances? Sharing and working together will protect the civil society from outside risks, a participant from Cote D’Ivoire noted. Douglas Johnson pointed out,  "We are a bit simple minded, we keep believing if we do it more effectively we will somehow change the system, but the system is too complex to be changed by one tactic, multiple tactics put pressure on the system, create dissonance in the system, and induce change!" That’s why we have to come together and listen to each other carefully and learn from each others’ success.

3.       One discussion centered on the country specific resolutions prepared by the UN Human Rights Commission. Are these resolutions beneficial? Some argue that they instigate a momentum that will build up in time and force the violators of human rights to improve their conduct.

4.      "We have focused on the tensions between the state and civil society here, but what about the non-state actors?", one participant commented. The twin cities practice from Turkey, one from the Aegean, one from the Southeast was explained to illustrate what can be done to ease the relations between the people.

5.      Another key point was that countries could consult international organizations for a closer monitoring of their governments’ misconduct.

6.      A last comment helped sum up the whole discussion: "It is true that there are many important topics to discuss: we are talking in general here, but not everyone would be interested in our details, but we understand perfectly well that we have different experience. We are provided a platform for general information, so that we don’t reinvent the wheel every time" said Yurov.

Closing Remarks:

The challenges met in different environments may not be that different from each other: the number of tools that were used in creating tactics varied. We posed some serious questions: is sharing enough, or should we do something more? The sentence that sums up all of this is that we attack the complex problems with simple tactics, but the problem is too complex to be undertaken by one single tactic, we should use many to manipulate the system!  Also, Kiai added, we are dealing with things that have been out there for a while! Maybe we should start calling it creative tactics instead of new tactics, in a few years these tactics will be old ones!

April 5, 2006

Skill building session: Developing Strategy and Tactics in Human Rights: Using the Tactical Map

Moderator:  Mariclaire Acosta, Commission Mexican para Defasa y promocion de los Derecho Humanos – Mexico

Presenters:

• Doug Johnson, Center for Victims of Torture, USA
• Ozlem Dalkiran, Helsinky Citizens Assembly, Turkey
• Nancy Pearson, Center for Victims of Torture, USA

Rapporteur: Rolly Rosen, Shatil, the New Israel Fund’s Capacity Building Center for Social Change Organizations, Israel.

21 participants came from: Israel, Columbia, Turkey, Tunisia, Jordan, Pakistan, Romania, Belgium, USA

Summary

• Since the 1970s human rights organizations have been using three main tactics in their efforts to stop human rights violations in general, and torture in particular:
• • setting standards (international conventions, legislation etc.)
  • monitoring the implementation of those standards
  • naming and shaming the violators.

• In spite of huge efforts, torture still continues to flourish, so the question was raised about why it continues to persist.
• The tactical map is a visual way to present the different social relationships that enable a certain social phenomena (such as torture) to happen.
• It suggests many possibilities for intervention, using different tactics or touching different players in different ways. "Pull tactics" (positive awards) should be used along side "push tactics" (exposing and shaming).
• The map could be a useful tool for building coordinated action between different organizations using different intervention tactics.

It would be useful if funders did not create an atmosphere of competition between organizations, and instead encouraged joint efforts to create a big picture and coordinate interventions. This would enable each organization to continue doing what they are best at, but may create a deeper and joint understanding of the wider context and build better chances for successfully influencing complex systems.

• In Turkey a process is currently under way, in which NGOs, government officials, professional associations etc. are trying to draw a tactical map and build an action plan based on it, toward the goal to end torture in Turkey. It is an extensive effort, based on participatory principles, and the results will be published and open to the public.
• The map could also be useful in authoritarian or dictatorial countries, even though it seems local actors have less means of influence. Still it is relevant to ask what are the bases of powers of the rulers, and how (also through using outside pressure) they could be undermined.
• Using new tactics may also assist in mobilizing new partners who will be interested in using tactics which have not been used before.

 [view full tactical mapping presentation]