the global campaign to stop stoning and killing women!

What you can do!

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

  1. Document instances of violations of women's rights, many which are justified by reference to culture, religion and tradition, whether carried out by governments, armies or individuals. Share your information with other organisations addressing these issues in your national context and with the Global Campaign to Stop Stoning and Killing Women! You can write to us at:

    Your name:
    Email address:
    Mailing address (optional):
    Telephone (optional):
    Fax (optional):
    Location (town/region/ country):
    Description of incident:
    Violence committed by state or non-state actors? STATE / NON-STATE (delete as applicable)
    Action needed? YES / NO (delete as applicable)
    Description of action requested:
    Background information:

  2. Write to your government
    Find out about the laws and systems in your country which prescribe, allow or provoke systematic violence against women by both state and non-state actors - specifically with the aim to control and punish women's sexuality - and which place the lives of women in danger. Here are just a few examples:

    • Pakistan:
    • Iran:
    • Sudan:
    • Nigeria:
    • Haiti: Article 269 of the Haitian penal code allows for co-called 'honour' crimes, stipulating that "in the case of adultery as provided for in Article 284, the murder by a husband of his wife and/or her partner, immediately upon discovering them in flagrante delicto in the conjugal abode, is to be pardoned." See Equality Now's 2007 updated report

    Bring this to the attention of your government, the media and international human rights organizations.

  3. Alert the United Nations Special Rapporteurs
    To fulfill their monitoring and reporting mandate, the UN Special Rapporteurs are partly dependent on civilian alerts to 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, here:

    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.

    Or, send your completed forms as an attachment to the Global Campaign to Stop Stoning and Killing Women! at:

  4. Many forms of violence against women are said to be derived from religion, culture and tradition, including the state-sponsored stoning to death of women and independently carried-out "honour killings". You can enlist the support of progressive religious scholars, leaders and authorities in your communities to engage the public and speak out against these practices as contrary to the fundamental principles of equality and peace in Islam and all religions. Many supportive leaders also denounce violence against women as denying women their human rights, regardless of cultural justifications.

  5. Share successful strategies and experiences of any campaigns or any cases in your country against the violation of women, and encourage others to get involved and take action.

  6. Publicise such violations in the press and other media by writing letters to the press to report and respond to instances of killing women. A well-thought out letter to the editor or to your local government representative can be very effective.

  7. 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. Or, with limited resources or expertise, you can start a blog, join an online debate and email letters and campaign materials.

  8. Support campaigns and actions that advocate the reform of Family Laws and Personal Status Laws (including those laws which govern marriage, divorce, custody, citizenship, and inheritance), to eliminate discriminatory laws and practices. Here are some examples:

    • The ongoing campaign by the networks of women's rights defenders and civil society to repeal the Hudood Ordinances in Pakistan: legislation which, amongst other discriminatory clauses, allows for rape victims to be charged for adultery. See and the .
    Tips for engaging in international solidarity actions:
    1. Be informed: check your information carefully and the sources of your information
    2. Avoid stereotyping and generalizing of cultures, religions and states - whether your own or someone else's. Your message will be more widely and readily accepted if you remain sensitive and present your information clearly.
    3. Always take into account the consequences of your actions for those directly involved in national and local campaigns and women at risk of violence. Some situations require a great deal of international coverage; others are worsened by this visibility. Aim to provide platforms for activists on the ground to voice their own concerns. Contact organizations in the countries you are concerned about and find out what action they wish the international community to take.