What you can do!

There are several things that can be done by individuals or organisations concerned with these issues.

1. Respond to Alerts for Action on the WLUML website: www.wluml.org




2. Find out about the laws, polices and practices in your country which prescribe or provoke violence against women specifically with the aim to control and punish women's sexuality that place the lives of women in danger. (This includes Personal Status and Family Laws as well as customary practices.)




3. Document instances of violations of women's rights that are justified by reference to culture, religion and tradition carried out by state or non-state actors




4. Bring it to the attention of your government (through letter-writing or other appropriate means)




5. Publicise such violations in the press and other media by writing letters to the press to report or respond to the and respond to instances of killing women. A well-thought out letter to the editor can be very effective.
   
   
   • If you are a journalist, a broadcaster or a film maker you can make specific reports, programmes and films about these issues and raise awareness by highlighting the problem in the media.

   
   

   • Alternatively, even with limited resources and expertise, you can start a blog, join an online debate and email letters and campaign materials.




6. Approach the United Nations System:
   
   
   • Alert the relevant United Nations Special Rapporteurs to fulfill their mandate by submitting a report; many UN Special Rapporteurs welcome reports from civil society and individuals about the occurrence of violations of human rights occurring in all national and cultural contexts. You can go to the websites of Special Rapporteurs and other UN human rights bodies to learn about their mandates, and how to submit reports and information here:

   
   

   • The Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, its Causes and Consequences
   • The Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression
   • The Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief
   • The Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders
   • The Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography
   • The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
   • The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances
   • The Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions
   • The Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
   • The Independent Expert on Human Rights and International Solidarity
   • The Independent Expert to update the Set of Principles for the protection and the promotion of human rights through action to combat impunity
   • The Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the Human Rights of Migrants
   • The Independent Expert on Minority Issues
   • The Special Rapporteur on Contemporary forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance
   • The Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery
   • The Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
   • The Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children

Special Rapporteurs wish to receive both general information about situations and developments which can lead to human rights violations within their respective mandates - for example, Violence Against Women, or Human Rights Defenders - as well as reports of specific cases.

For specific cases, you can download and fill in the special reporting forms from the website listed above and send them to the UN Rapporteurs yourself. Please send us a copy of your letters and reports of your campaigns.

If you would like to remain anonymous, you can send your completed forms as an attachment to the Global Campaign to Stop Stoning and Killing Women! at: info@stop-stoning.org, and the campaign will forward your information.

7. Find out if your government is a State Party (in other words has signed and ratified) the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
   • Check at: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/states.htm
   • If your country has ratified CEDAW, when your country submits its official report, you can submit a Shadow Report to the CEDAW Committee. To find out more about this process please see: IWRAW + IWRAW Asia-Pacific
8. Build Alliances to strengthen the campaign:
   • Enlist the support of progressive individuals and groups, including religious scholars, leaders and authorities in your community to speak out against the (ab)use of religion, culture and tradition to justify violence against women for violating ‘norms’ of sexual behavior.
   • Encourage such allies to engage the public and speak out against these practices.
   • Share your information with other organisations addressing these issues in your national context
   • Share successful strategies and experiences and encourage others to get involved and take action.

WRITE TO US the Global Campaign to Stop Killing and Stoning Women!: share your initiatives experiences and successes!

You can write to us at: info@stop-stoning.org