Using satirical symbols to challenge media censorship
Protesters in Turkey used the image of a penguin to demand a more accountable and responsive media.
Tactics
Utilizing SMS to facilitate communication between detainees and human rights groups to provide medical help and legal assistance
The Front to Defend Egypt Protesters (FDEP) developed an approach to encourage activists and protesters at risk of arrest and detention to communicate with a volunteer network and mobilize timely legal, medical and other support.
Engaging government allies to advance the right to free early childhood education in poverty pockets
The Change Academy for Democratic Studies and Development and the Arab Network for Civic Education (ANHRE) successfully engaged allies in national government agencies along with local community organizations to advance the right to early childhood education in poverty pockets in Ma’an governorate, South Jordan.
Standing in silence at symbolic locations to protest government abuses and memorialize victims
Turkish protesters stood in silence at symbolic locations to draw attention to government abuses and unmet promises.
Mass demonstrations began in Istanbul in May 2013 as protests aimed at halting government plans to develop a popular urban park grew into a broader social movement to protest increasingly authoritarian policies and the violent response to peaceful demonstrations.
Infiltrating immigration detention centers to document those who are eligible for release
The National Immigrant Youth Alliance (NIYA) infiltrates immigration detention centers in the United States in order to find prisoners who are eligible for release and advocate for them.
Building a coalition to preserve the right to public access to beaches
The Royal Marine Conservation Society of Jordan (JREDS) engaged over 70 organizations and 2300 people to build a coalition of experts and civil society organizations to intervene in the rapidly depleting coast line and preserve the right of the Jordanian people to access public beaches.
Crowdsource mapping the presence of military figures in civilian leadership roles to build awareness and promote transparency
Egyptian organization el3askarmap combines crowdsourced research efforts and online tools to gather data and map the presence of military personnel in civilian positions within different state-run institutions such as ministries, villages, cities, economic bodies, and others.
Using social media to collectively document abuses and honor victims and activists
Anonymous artists created mock postage stamps honoring people and places that had a profound effect on the Syrian Revolution.
Using Facebook to provide anonymity and support to people at risk of discrimination
In Lebanon, an LGBT advocacy organisation (not to be named here for privacy reasons) created a Facebook profile with no photo and no friends to safely mobilise people who needed support, community connection and/or wanted to find others interested to advocate for LGBT rights. The profile served as a way to direct people to the organisation's website without threatening their security or anonymity by publicly linking them with an LGBT organisation.
Mobilizing supporters on social media to get the attention of strategic targets
Amnesty International USA (AI USA) used Twitter to urge the United States Department of State to respond to human rights violations in Bahrain.
Pages
Resource Library: Tools for Action
Resource Library: Tools for Action
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