The 5-in-6 program in South Africa raises awareness of the widespread problem of domestic violence through a nomination campaign for male role models. Volunteers go house to house asking women and children to nominate men in their lives as “Everyday Heroes.” The nomination forms – more than 50,000 have been returned – are displayed in churches and community centers, raising the public profile of the campaign. The men are invited to meetings where they discuss ways to fight domestic violence in their communities. The name of the program comes from the statistic that in South Africa one man in six abuses the women in his life.

Machsom Watch monitors Israeli checkpoints in an effort to reduce abuses perpetrated against Palestinians.  The organization began in January 2001 with 3 women, and has since grown to 300 women.  All of the women are volunteers who are opposed to the occupation.  Collectively they monitor several checkpoints in Jerusalem, witnessing and reporting abuses, showing solidarity to Palestinians, and occasionally intervening on their behalf when abuses occur.

In 2002, Poder Ciudadano (Citizen Power) collected signatures on two petitions that, through a constitutional provision, obligated the Argentine Congress to consider community-proposed legislation.  The constitutional provision requires the Congress to deliberate over any proposed legislation brought before it by community members or organizations, but such legislation must bear the signatures of 1.5 percent of Argentine citizens in at least six of 24 districts.  Using this tactic, it focused its efforts on  two problems that have had widespread effects in Argentine society recently – pensions of privilege, a system of excessive retirement benefits for former government officials, even those known to be corrupt and most recently, hunger, especially of children and pregnant women.  By late 2002, both proposals were passed by the Congress with some modifications.

Tactic Information

Intervention type: 

Intervention Tactics - Persuasion

Objective: 

Collecting signatures for a referendum that compels the legislature to consider human rights-based legislation

Sector initiating tactic: 

Civil society

Sector intended to affect: 

Government

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) employs tactics aimed at gaining public confidence and participation to fight corruption in Hong Kong.   These tactics include corruption prevention, operations, preventive education, and enlisting the support from the public.  ICAC was established as an anti-corruption organization totally independent from any department of the government and police.  ICAC is committed to fight corruption with its approach of investigation, prevention, and education.  It targets all areas where corruption might exist in order to prevent any loopholes. These areas are the governmental, public, and private sectors.  Through this tactic, ICAC has restored public confidence in the government to end corruption in the country.

The youth parliament has impacted not only the youth but also their parents and community.  For the youth, the parliament has empowered them and given them the knowledge that they, as the future generation, can make a difference in their country.  In addition, the youth parliament has made them understand the importance of coexistence, tolerance, and living together.  In many cases, the experiences, the feelings and everything that the youth intakes during this program affect them all through their lives.  What is found is that most of them return one way or another to dealing with democracy, tolerance, and coexistence later on during the years.  Many come back to take part in other JACA activities, such as becoming camp counselors or teachers.  To the parents and the community, the parliament shows that coexistence is possible through democracy.  As a result of the youths’ interaction with one another, the community becomes less fearful of the “other” group.

A local-level association of sex workers utilizes a surveillance team from within a sex brothel to watch for and prevent the trafficking of under-aged girls.  When the surveillance team composed of senior inmates sees a suspicious activity occurring, they try to obtain background information from the under-aged girl.  The surveillance team then notifies the sex workers’ association.  Based on that information, the association sends a trusted person to the girl’s parents’ or relatives’ house and notifies them of the whereabouts of their daughter.  Through this tactic, girls have been rescued and returned to their families.

The Bolsa Escola program in Brazil provides families with a monthly stipend so that children can attend school instead of work in the streets. The program, which began in the city of Brasilia, was created with the realization that the working children of today are the poor adults of tomorrow. Bolsa Escola was expanded to a federal program in 2001.

Tactic Information

Intervention type: 

Prevention Tactics - Removing opportunities for abuse

Objective: 

To honor cultural traditions without sacrificing the girl's rights to health and economic opportunity.

Sector initiating tactic: 

Civil society

Sector intended to affect: 

Civil society

Sisters in Islam, as one of the founding members of a joint action group called Malaysians Against Moral Policing (MAMP), has been organizing in response to the growing zeal of the state in policing the morality of citizens.

Tactic Information

Intervention type: 

Building Human Rights Cultures and Institutions - Building awareness

Objective: 

To use the foundations of religious and cultural values of Malaysia to promote human rights

Sector initiating tactic: 

Civil society

Sector intended to affect: 

Civil society