New Tactics | Other

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Protecting freedom of thought and the right to privacy by destroying records that could be demanded by the government

In the United States, a national professional organization is increasing its efforts to prevent potential infringements of privacy rights and intellectual freedom by making sure that as few records as possible are kept.

Traditionally, librarians throughout the United States have prevented restrictions on intellectual freedom by destroying unnecessary library records as soon as possible.

Using people’s tribunals to mobilize victims and pressure for justice

The Human Rights Law Network (HRLN), founded by a group of lawyers and social activists in India, set up the Indian People’s Tribunal to promote justice and mobilize victims of human rights abuses. These tribunals seek to bring a wide range of human rights abuses into focus through conducting public hearings. Positioned as an alternative People’s Court, since 1993 the IPT has conduc

Building multiple constituencies for transnational policy advocacy on indigenous issues

The Saami Council, a transnational political organization representing the indigenous Saami people native to Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia, played an instrumental role in the creation of democratically-elected Saami Parliaments in Finland, Norway and Sweden over the past three decades. It recently recognized that there is still a lack of cross-border coordination between national and

Building coalitions to affect local, regional and international policy using a rights and health-based approach

The need for building coalitions among diverse constituency groups at local, national and international levels grew out of the recognition that individual actors could not take on large corporate or government pesticide policies alone. For example, pesticide activists faced a formidable, well-funded opposition to Proposition 128, known as the “Big Green Campaign,” which called for the end

Using a Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) tool to inform and assess external policy measures

The Humanist Committee on Human Rights (HOM) is developing a Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) tool to assist governments and other policy-making bodies in the systematic translation of general objectives into priorities and action on human rights and democratic development. As part of any planning process, the HRIA contains eight levels of procedural implementation that allow stakeholders to assess and forecast the impact of policy, programs and projects on human rights situations and apply retrospective analysis on existing practices.

Adapting traditional human rights fact-finding methodology to emerging human rights issues

Jennifer Prestholdt The Advocates for Human Rights (The Advocates), formerly known as the Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, uses traditional human rights monitoring methods to document human rights abuses,