WUNRN

http://www.wunrn.com

 

New Tactics in Human Rights

https://www.newtactics.org/conversation/powerful-persuasion-combating-traditional-practices-violate-human-rights

 

COMBATING TRADITIONAL PRACTICES THAT VIOLATE HUMAN RIGHTS - ONLINE DIALOGUE

 

Dates of Online Conversation: 

Monday, August 19, 2013 to Friday, August 23, 2013.

 

Traditions and rituals are often supported by strongly held cultural beliefs.  The deep roots of traditional cultural practices can make it very difficult to change behaviors that are harmful and violate the human rights of a community or individual. Often, the key to this kind of cultural shift is respectful, patient, community-led persuasion to create movements for change.

In Ghana, it may have taken 10 years to change the harmful practice of Trokosi (taking young girls as slaves to atone for the bad deeds of a family member), but a coalition of organizations and community leaders were able to free thousands of girls and abandon this practice in hundreds of communities. In Sub-Saharan Africa, Tostan and their partners engaged communities to learn about the harmful health impacts of Female Genital Cutting (FGC), educate men and women about their rights, and discuss how to prevent these health problems in the future. So far, over 6,500 communities from Djibouti, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Somalia and The Gambia have publicly declared their decision to abandon both FGC and child/forced marriage. Rather than blaming or criticizing, these groups encourage dialogue around these practices and their impacts on the development of local communities.

This conversation is an opportunity for practitioners involved or interested in the power of persuasion tactics to share their experiences, questions, challenges and ideas. Join us for this conversation on August 19!

For help on how to participate in this conversation, please visit these online instructions.