Campaign Description:
On 2nd November 2014, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (“CCHR”) launched its annual impunity campaign to mark the United Nations’ first International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. CCHR took this opportunity to highlight the rampant and widespread nature of impunity in Cambodia. The campaign aimed to generate and relay the public’s call on the Royal Government of Cambodia (the “RGC”) to end to impunity. CCHR were calling on Cambodians to take picture of themselves holding a sign with their pledge to end impunity. CCHR collected the pictures throughout the month of November and collated them into a giant poster. On 2 December, CCHR delivered this giant photo petition to the Ministry of Justice, to demonstrate the widespread public demand to end impunity. To find out more about this campaign please visit the site.
Campaign Objectives:
The campaign aims to generate and relay the public’s call on the Royal Government of Cambodia (the “RGC”) to end to impunity. It calls on people to take a stance against impunity in Cambodia.
Campaign target audience:
- General public
- Government
- Ministry of Justice
Tools used during the campaign:
- Flickr
- Website
- e-newsletter
- Banner sign
Campaign Activities (Online)
- releasing press release to launch the campaign so media and public could be informed
people were to submit their photo via the Flickr site. - releasing a comprehensive info on the campaign via the website.
- highlighting the campaign and urged public to join via mailing list.
- Tweeting with @cchrcambodia using #impunitykh
- Urged participants to ask their friends to take a photo as well, by sharing yours on Facebook or making it a profile picture
Campaign Activities (Offline)
For networks that have more than 30 members and that wanted to participate, CCHR brought the camera and sign to them. Alternatively, participants were able to come to the CCHR Office in Phnom Penh to have a photo taken. A giant banner with all the photos was delivered to the Ministry of Justice on 2 December 2014
Campaign Outcomes
The CCHR received about 275 photos. A giant banner with all the photos was delivered to the Ministry of Justice on 2 December 2014. Most of the photos were also shared on CCHR’s Facebook page and received a lot of attention. The most popular photo received 6,000 likes and more than 100 comments, while even the least popular got around 1,000 likes.
What were the main successes of this campaign?
The photo petition that CCHR launched on the first United Nations-recognized International Day to End Impunity of Crimes against Journalists, 2 November 2014, was very successful. CCHR received more than 275 photos and these photos were collaged and delivered to the Ministry of Justice on 2 December 2014. The campaign not only registered more participation than the other campaigns, but it also helped raise awareness on impunity and stimulated intense discussion among social media users. The campaign was covered by a number of news agencies.
What were the main failures, if any, of this campaign?
The banner could not be handed to the Minister of Justice himself although he assigned his staff members to accept the petition. We are not aware and have not seen the response from the Ministry afterward on how they are addressing impunity while impunity continues to persist.
Organisations involved:
CCHR and other 29 organisations