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Cross-disciplinary modules for the effective use of New Tactics database in the classroom. This module helps educators to introduce examples of tactics being used around the world to their students. Information on this module:

• Module format: 2-3 classes of 90 minutes
• Goal: To understand the power of innovative tactics to impact a human rights abuse (political, social, economic, etc)
• Objectives: To have students compare and contrast the effectiveness of different tactics used to address an abuse of human rights that corresponds to the acadmic discipline.
• Resources:
  • New Tactics website: tactics database
  • background readings on specific issue

Summary of steps for any discipline (detailed examples below):

Class 1

• Introduction to NT resources including website and tactics database.
• Instructor-directed choice of issue to be researched according to discipline with examples of search words to be typed into data base (see the examples below)
• Students split into four groups to research the following types of tactics for the chosen issue:
  • 1. Prevention tactics
  • 2. Intervention tactics
  • 3. Building human rights cultures and institutions
  • 4. Restorative tactics
• ALL groups should be directed to identify concrete outcomes/succeses of their type of tactic in terms of impact on the issue and its implications for different sectors (goverment, business, legal, civil society)

Class 2

• Each group shares with the whole class the tactics identified and their impact. Each group draws up an action plan for one or more of the sectors: government, business, legal or civil society, according to the relevance to the discipline. For example, a business school class might draw up four plans for a private company to impact child labor using all four types of tactics shared.
• Whole class puts together a speech for goverment official/CEO/attorney-general/not for profit director that will announce the new tactical approach that will be adopted by that sector towards the human rights abuse issue. The speech should identify the most EFFECTIVE combination of tactics that have been identified to address the issue and specify the benefits to stakeholders (citizens/shareholders/legal clients/not for profits)

Class 3

• The final part of this module will be dedicated to debriefing on the exercise and evaluating its utility.This could also be squeezed into class 2.

Extended Examples:

Class 1

Educator to provide an introduction to New Tactics website and tactics database.

Instructor-directed choice of issue to be researched according to discipline, with suggested searchwords to be typed into the tactics database, for example:

Example 1: Child Labor

Taking the example of business school students researching child labor from the perspective of corporate social responsibility - the instructor works with the whole class to search the database using the search words: CHILD LABOR. Thirteen or more examples will appear. These tactics are listed according to type:3 Prevention, 5 Intervention, 2 Restorative, and 3 Building Human Rights Cultures and Institutions.

Business is listed as the 'Initiating Sector' in at least 3 Intervention tactics, and 1 Building tactic.

The instructor asks students to divide into four groups to explore tactics according to their type (Prevention, Intervention, Restorative, and Building Human Rights Cultures and Institutions)

• Group 1: Prevention
• Group 2: Intervention
• Group 3: Building Human Rights Cultures and Institutions
• Group 4: Restorative

Note: All the groups should identify concerete outcomes / successes of their type of tactics in terms of impact on the issue of child labor and the implications for business.

Group 1: One example listed is providing stipend for sending children to school, removing the need for them to work to supplement the family income.

• Tactic: Providing parents with funds that allow them to send their children to school rather than to work
• Summary: 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.
• Prevention Tactics - Removing opportunities for abuse
• Objective: To provide families with a monthly stipend so that children can attend school instead of work in the streets
• Sector initiating tactic: Government
• Sector intended to affect: Civil society

This group should explore the role of business in partnering with civil society and government to prevent the abuse of child labor. Business incentive: healthier community; ethical profile for company. The group should search the data base under BUSINESS for other examples of PREVENTION TACTICS that could apply to the child labor field - a subfield might be micro enterprise.

Group 2: One example listed is certifying companies as examples of 'good practice"

• Tactic: Certifying companies based on an internationally recognizable standard to improve labor conditions
• Summary: Social Accountability International (SAI) develops voluntary corporate social responsibility standards and certifies companies based on their implementation of these standards. The first of these standards, Social Accountability 8000 (SA 8000), includes a code of conduct for labor conditions and a verification system to ensure compliance.
• Intervention Tactics - Incentive
• Objective: Certifying companies based on an internationally recognizable standard to improve labor conditions
• Sector initiating tactic: Civil society
• Sector intended to affect: Business

This group should explore the role of business in supporting and receiving this type of certification while bringing to light child labor abuses. They should search the data base under BUSINESS for other examples of INTERVENTION TACTICS that could apply to child labor field - a subfield might be corporate social responsiblity.

Group 3: One example is the case of Reebok and soccer balls

• Tactic: Concentrating production of soccer balls in monitored facilities to prevent child labor
• Summary: In 1996 Reebok International initiated factory monitoring, product labeling and education programs to prevent the use of child labor in the manufacture of their Pakistani-made soccer balls.
• Building Human Rights Cultures and Institutions - Collaboration
• Objective: Elimination of child labor in manufacture process
• Sector initiating tactic: Business
• Sector intended to affect: Business

This group should analyze the role of Reebok in helping to build a culture that is anti-child labor and look for examples of other companies that have or have not adopted similar practices. This group should search the data base under BUSINESS for examples of BUILDING TACTICS that could apply to the child labor field.

Group 4: One example is that of empowering children with information, skills and formal structures to advocate for their own rights

• Tactic: Empowering children with information, skills and formal structures to advocate for their own rights
• Summary: The Concerned for Working Children (CWC) in India enables children to create formal structures such as unions and governance bodies to advocate for their own rights. The organization is committed to the empowerment of children, especially working and other marginalised children and their communities, and to enabling and enhancing their participation in decision making and governance on all matters that concern them. CWC has been actively involved in this cause since 1980.
• Restorative Tactics - Strengthening individuals and communities
• Objective: Reintegration of former child laborers.
• Sector initiating tactic: Civil society
• Sector intended to affect: Civil society

This group should consider how a healthier community will provide an improved climate for business. They should also research the data base under LAW and/or COMMUNITY for other examples of RESTORATIVE TACTICS that could apply to the child labor field and where private sector involvement could assist in restoring community by legal or other means.

Example 2: Policy

Take the example of political science students research the role of citizens in holding government accountable and working to maintain a healthy democracy - the instructor works with the whole class to search the database using the search word: POLICY. Over 23 tactics will appear. Of these, several are listed under each of the 4 Intervention Type categories. (Note: other sub-categories can be CORRUPTION or DEMOCRACY.

Government is listed as the 'Intiating Sector' in several tactics.

The instructor asks students to divide into four groups to explore tactics according to the four main types:

• Group 1: Prevention
• Group 2: Intervention
• Group 3: Building Human Rights Cultures and Institutions
• Group 4: Restorative

Note: ALL GROUPS should identify concrete outcomes/successes of their type of tactics in terms of impact on the issue of good governance and the implications for both government and civil society.

Group 1: One example listed is analyzing government budgets from a human rights perspective to determine, through criteria of transparency, accountability, and governance, whether particular groups of people are being fairly and democratically represented in government programs.

• Tactic: Human Rights Budgeting to Promote and Protect Social and Economic Rights
• Summary:IDASA was established in 1985, and worked in part to forge links between Afrikaner groups and the African National Congress. The group was later instrumental in overseeing free and fair elections, and currently its primary objective is to help build democracy and democratic institutions throughout the African continent. IDASA’s Budget Information Service was established in 1995 to ensure that citizens and the government communicate about public policy.
• Prevention tactics: - removing opportunities for abuse
• Objective: To prevent abuse of certain groups by unfair government budgetary allocations
• Sector initiating tactic: civil society
• Sector intended to affect: government

This group should explore the role of civil society in ensuring government transparency and thereby protect vulnerable groups from budgetary discrimination. Civil society incentive: more equitable and democratic society. Government incentive: greater citizenry trust. The group should search the data base under TRANSPARENCY and/or CORRUPTION for other examples of PREVENTION TACTICS that could apply to this field.

Group 2: One example listed is distributing air quality testing equipment to community members to promote environmental justice.

• Tactic: Distributing air quality testing equipment to community members to promote environmental justice
• Summary:many communities across the United States have begun or joined “Bucket Brigades,” programs that instruct communities near industrial polluters how to build and use simple air monitoring devices, or “buckets.” In the absence of strong environmental laws, standards, or environmental enforcement bodies, buckets give communities the means to independently monitor the air quality of their neighborhoods and provide them with the evidence to affect environmental and industrial policy change.
• Intervention tactics - Incentive
• Objective: monitoring air quality in order to provide evidence needed to affect environmental and industrial policy.
• Sector initiating tactic: civil society
• Sector intended to affect: local and national government

This group should explore the role of citizen advocacy in ensuring that government policy reflects environmental realities. They should search the data base under DEMOCRACY or ADVOCACY to find other examples of INTERVENTION TACTICS that could apply to different fields.

Group 3: One example is establishing an institution which brings together a group of like-minded individuals and organizations concerned about educational development in the country.

• Tactic: Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE)--Education Watch
• Summary: Education Watch in Bangladesh aims to:

• Conduct periodic independent review of the state of primary and basic education through research, surveys and studies and publish annually a report on aspects of basic and primary education.
• Disseminate the findings of the research to all stakeholders at various levels in order to enhance public awareness about education and promote public participation in educational policy dialogue.
• Engage in advocacy in support of quality Education for All in the country.

• Building Human Rights Cultures and Institutions - Collaboration
• Objective: to improve the universal standard of education for all.
• Sector initiating the tactic: Civil society
• Sector intended to affect: government and society as a whole

This group should analyze the role of institutions such as Education Watch in acting as a permanent advocate to keep pressure on government over the long term about a sector that requires further support for the development of the country as a whole. This group should search the data base under GOVERNANCE for examples of BUILDING TACTICS that could apply in the field of institution building.

Group 4: One example is using both international and national law to determine that dictators could be tried for human rights violations committed during their rule.

• Tactic: Using international law to affect national policy
• Summary: The Spanish and British governments used both international and national law to determine that Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet could be tried for human rights violations committed during his rule.
• Lawyers acting on behalf of the victims of Pinochet’s regime filed criminal complaints in Spain using a procedural device called “accion popular,” or popular action, in which Spanish citizens are permitted to file private criminal actions in certain circumstances. Spanish courts allowed the case to proceed based on the principle of universal jurisdiction, — such as torture, genocide, and other crimes against humanity — no matter where the crime was committed and regardless of the nationality of the perpetrators and their victims. This principle gave a Spanish judge the authority to order Pinochet’s arrest for crimes committed primarily in Chile and against Chileans.
• Restorative Tactics - strengthening individuals and communities
• Objective: Holding a dictator responsible for his crimes and healing societal wounds
• Sector initiating tactic: legal (Chilean) and government (British and Spanish)
• Sector intended to affect: all sectors of society

This group should consider how a healthier community will provide an improved international image for a country. They should research the data base under GOVERNANCE for other examples of RESTORATIVE TACTICS that could apply to this field.

Class 2

Share in whole class the tactics identified and their impact. Each group draws up a corporate social responsiblity (search term) plan for a company of their choice in a developing country that includes the description of the company's position on child labor and the contribution that that company will make in terms of: prevention, intervention, building and restoration.

Whole class puts together speech for CEO to shareholders that will announce the company's new policy toward the issue of child labor. The speech will identify the most effective combination of tactics that the company will use to address the issue of child labor and specify the benefits to: shareholders, company employees, the community. (stakeholder analysis)

Debrief on exercise and evaluate utility (possible class 3)

This outline should be usable for any of the disciplines listed, just fill in first key search word and follow same steps.