WITNESS works to empower human rights defenders to use video to shine a light on those most affected by human rights violations, and to transform personal stories of abuse into tools to communicate about, and fight for, justice. Partnership is WITNESS' key strategy in ensuring access to and effective use of this technology; WITNESS' partners fight for the rights of indigenous people, for an end to systemic gender violence and the use of children as soldiers, and for environmental protection. WITNESS selects these partners based on the strength of their human rights work, the clarity of their mission, and the ability of video to enhance their campaigns. In organising like-minded coalitions to create human rights campaigns, WITNESS works through a two-pronged approach which consists in the following:

First, the Seeding Video Advocacy initiative is a response to the demand for training in the use of video for human rights and social justice advocacy, one that at the same time enables WITNESS to disseminate best practices through the human rights community on a broader scale, to learn about other innovative ideas for using video in advocacy, and to meet new organisations that could become Core Partners (see below). WITNESS stresses that "video alone cannot drive human rights progress. Our training therefore operates on multiple tracks, educating human rights groups in how to use video to complement existing advocacy plans and incorporate outreach to decision-makers, the media, and the general public." WITNESS provides short-term trainings to a wide array of organisations and networks and acts as a catalyst to stimulate wider and more effective use of video in advocacy efforts worldwide. WITNESS is open to diverse collaborations including workshops, conferences, train-the-trainer seminars, and other teaching opportunities. As part of the Seeding Video Advocacy initiative, in 2005 WITNESS published its first book titled "Video for Change: A Guide for Advocacy and Activism" (click here for a summary).

Second, WITNESS' Core Partnerships are intensive, 2-3 year collaborations built around specific issues which give WITNESS the opportunity to figure out jointly which communication and advocacy tactics produce the maximal result. WITNESS video projects created through these collaborations are meant to provoke action. They have been used:

• as evidence in legal proceedings
• to complement official written reports of human rights abuses
• to assist international and regional human rights bodies by challenging the official narratives of offending governments and their allies
• to stimulate grassroots education and mobilisation
• to corroborate allegations of human rights violations leveled by human rights defenders and NGOs
• as a resource for news broadcasts
• to promote human rights advocacy via the worldwide web
• to produce documentaries for broadcast on television
• as a deterrent to further abuse

Recent specific examples include:

• In the Democratic Republic of Congo: On March 23 2006, Thomas Lubanga Dyilo was arrested by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes, namely enlisting and conscripting child soldiers. The arrest warrant follows a major advocacy drive by WITNESS partner AJEDI-Ka/PES including video distribution and screenings to key ICC officials.
• In the United States: The State Senate Majority Leader in California introduced sweeping legislation to overhaul the State's juvenile prison system 5 days after "System Failure" by WITNESS partner Books Not Bars, which reveals rampant abuses in the system, was screened at the Capitol.
• In Senegal: The Minister of Women's and Family Affairs pledged unprecedented funding for women landmine victims, and a regional hospital is providing prostheses free-of-charge, in response to a video by WITNESS partner RADDHO revealing the devastating effects of these weapons of war.

Broad dissemination of these images and messages through the mass media is a key strategy. WITNESS partner footage has appeared on major networks around the world, including CNN, ABC, CBS, PBS, and BBC. This footage is carried by satellite networks and film distribution companies and is frequently featured in film festivals worldwide.

WITNESS also uses ICTs to share its own work, stimulate advocacy, and inspire discussion through its interactive website. Here, one may learn more about the training offerings, watch WITNESS videos, learn how to get involved in WITNESS partner campaigns (by, for instance, writing letters to government officials, organising a film screening or a fundraiser in one's community, or boycotting clothing labels with unfair labour practices), or take part in the WITNESS Community Forum, which was created to facilitate discussion about the use of video technology in human rights work and to share information about events and articles related to WITNESS' work and to the human rights community in general. Furthermore, the WITNESS Media Archive is the repository for over 2500 hours of video in assorted formats representing original raw footage from human rights organisations around the world, as well as original documentary productions.

Various concrete examples of WITNESS impact - as well as many other details about partnership and training strategies, commitments, new ICT initiatives, and approaches for reaching new audiences - are offered within the Vision to Action: WITNESS 2005 Annual Report [PDF].

Human Rights, Social Justice.

A quote from Gillian Caldwell, Executive Director of WITNESS, December 2005: "Video advocacy has obvious roots in technological changes - the rise of handicams and the gamut of new possibilities for communicating information quickly and efficiently through
consumer technology that gets cheaper every day....Along with the evolution of technology, video advocacy has developed out of traditions of consciousness-raising. The ideal of
objectivity common to most journalism has a somewhat different meaning for us. While the films WITNESS helps to produce are always absolutely honest, they also unabashedly make the case for specific actions of defense and condemnation....If I had to say what ultimately distinguishes the form of filmmaking that WITNESS is pioneering from other genres it would be the way that our films break down the boundaries between filmmakers, audience and subject - insisting that we're all in this together. WITNESS videos only 'work' when you choose to participate in the process of reform they promote."

WITNESS hopes in 2007 to distribute video phones to relevant hotspots and to develop a website where people worldwide can upload content (namely, footage of human rights violations) from their cell phones and laptops and receive support to use that media to create change - "serving concerned citizens, activists, journalists, researchers, and human rights defenders around the world." Users will be able to create groups of community members with similar interests or concerns for issues that incorporate videos, online forums, event organising and the ability to create campaigns and petitions so that video is not only seen, but also acted upon; to read more about this development and/or to participate in a questionnaire (in English, French, or Spanish), click here.