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Using zero rupee notes to protest prevalence of bribery in public service sectors

The Anti Corruption movement, 5th Pillar recently began distributing “Zero Rupee” notes to Indian citizens to give to any civil servant they come across that asks for a bribe. Corruption in the form of bribery is commonplace in India particularly in Chennai where the campaign began, and the Zero Rupee Note serves as a protest of this trend. 

Using humor to put an oppressive government in a lose-lose situation

The nonviolent civil-resistance movement initiated by Otpor! In Serbia used satire and other unconventional ways of successfully spreading its message of resistance against the tyrannical regime of Slobodan Milosevic.

Using a comprehensive training approach to persuade police officers to transform their relationships with communities

Police brutality and torture are widespread in Brazil. What makes the problem worse is the fact that police officers are poorly paid and corruption is rampant.

Using international monitoring bodies to pressure government to address violations and establish mechanisms for protection

The Committee on the Administration of Justice succeeded in raising the issue of human rights abuses in Northern Ireland at the international level and, by doing so, brought about significant improvements in human rights conditions.

Creating an online database to promote government transparency

The city government in Seoul, South Korea created an online database to increase government transparency.  Online Procedure Procedures Enhancement for Civil Applications (OPEN) was initiated by the Seoul City Government  to allow city citizens to monitor civil applications through an online database. OPEN provides details on the status of applications made related to the 70 municipal government tasks identified as most prone to corruption, including housing and construction projects, environmental regulation and urban planning.  Through the database, applicants can find out who has their application, when they can expect the application process to be  complete, reasons for delay, and, if an application has been declined, reasons for its rejection.

Building a coalition of all human rights organizations in a country to speak with one voice against abuses

In the 1980s and early 1990s Peru suffered great political violence and brutal human rights violations.  Security organizations and government officials harshly criticized the neutral defense of human rights (holding state and non-state actors equally accountable for their actions).  The government accusations seemed to resonate with many Peruvian citizens.  To gain greater credi

Establishing Independent Monitoring Boards for prisons to ensure humane and just treatment

The Independent Monitoring Board in England and Wales (IMB) is not a pressure group but a constant presence in a prison, independent of the Governor, staff and prisoners, monitoring that the prison is being run according to the rules.  The IMB consists of a group of lay people living locally to a prison who are appointed by the Minister for Prisons to go into the prison, unannounced, at an

Using the power of the media to send targeted messages to people in a position to end abuses

Radio Publique Africaine (RPA) used its power as a media entity to influence individuals and groups who could help fix the situation in the Burundi’s hospitals, where poor people were being held against their will because they could not pay their bills. Eventually, in partnership with local NGOs, APR successfully pressured the government to order the people’s release.

Litigating representative cases to push for women’s rights through legal reform

The Center for Women’s Law Studies and Legal Services of Peking University was founded 1995 as a pubic interest law firm that conducts research on women’s issues and provides pro-bono legal services to Chinese women of all backgrounds.  The center’s most successful tactic has been in litigating a select number cases that carry great implications for Chinese women’s struggles in the current