Tactic Examples

A tactic can be almost anything you can imagine. Some involve sophisticated computer programming. Others are as simple as turning your light on and off at a certain time - along with thousands of others. For more examples, browse through the tactical database. Some tactics recently used in human rights work include:

Child volunteers: Human rights education for children
Every year, thousands of Norwegian school children leave school for a day to carry out money-making projects, such as washing cars or shining shoes. Nearly $5 million annually is generated, and is designated for development and human rights organizations in developing countries. Through this innovative educational project, children learn that their small, individual contributions can create something extraordinarily powerful when joined with the efforts of others.

Soccer players unite: Creating positive market incentives
In February 1997, a coalition of human rights organizations and more than 100 sporting goods manufacturers and marketing organizations agreed to eliminate the use of child labor to produce soccer balls. The human rights coalition was able to use the power of the market - soccer ball players worldwide - to persuade companies to accept the agreement. The agreement called for manufacturers to refuse to accept balls made by child laborers, the funding of a multi-million dollar monitoring effort, and the funding of children’s education in affected areas. (Close to 70 percent of the world’s soccer balls are produced in Pakistan.)

Demonstrating ethnic solidarity through cultural rights In Latvia, citizens resisted Soviet-era laws against local language and cultural identity by gathering in public squares to sing traditional Latvian songs. By drawing large numbers of people together peacefully with a culturally shared mode of expression, Latvians demonstrated their distinct cultural identity and asserted their rights.