symbolic public acts
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Demonstrating outside the homes of perpetrators of abuse to generate condemnation

In Argentina, perpetrators of abuse during Argentina's dictatorship (1976-1983) often live anonymously among their neighbors, enjoying the immunity granted by the current Argentinean government.  HIJOS, a local human rights organization, is trying to unmask this anonymity.

Mobilizing cultural resources to build an anti-racist youth network

Never Again (Nigdy Wiecej) is an anti-racist, anti-fascist organization created in 1992 to monitor and document racist and fascist activities, and conduct educational campaigns centered on music and sports. Never Again mobilizes cultural resources to build an anti-racist youth network in Poland.

Mobilizing citizens to turn off their lights everyday to protest government corruption

Citizen Initiative for Constant Light mobilized 30 million people in Turkey to turn off and on their lights to demand that the government act against corruption. The action resulted from public outrage after a car crash openly revealed connections between government, police and the mob.

Singing traditional songs in public to advocate for cultural rights

In June of 1988 hundreds of thousands of Estonians (as many as 300,000 or one-third of the Estonian population by some estimates) gathered for five nights in a row in the capital city of Tallinn to sing forbidden or politically-risky folk songs. Similar song festivals were held that summer in Latvia and Lithuania. This “Singing Revolution,” as it became known, was an important step toward the independence of the Baltic states from the Soviet Union in August 1991.

Labeling products to assure consumers child labor was not used

Rugmark is a private, voluntary certification program founded in 1994 to provide market-driven incentives for Indian carpet manufactures to produce without child labor. The Rugmark label, which pictures a smiling face on a carpet, identifies and promotes hand-knotted carpets made without child labor. While it started in India, Rugmark Foundation now operates as an international trademark and certification program. The program includes a licensing system, random inspections and carpet tracking. Rugmark’s founders include Indian and international NGOs, the Indo-German Export Promotion Program and UNICEF.