You can participate on your own, join an event — or you can host your own event! We’re here to help. If you have any questions, please contact the Write for Rights team at writeathon@amnesty.ca!

The purpose of the Write for Rights is to mobilize millions of people around the world on International Human Rights Day, December 10th. The main goal is to use the power of letter-writing to influence world leaders to protect individuals or communities whose human rights have been denied.

Everyone! You don’t need to have previous experience with human rights or Amnesty International to participate. Amnesty welcomes all those who are keen to keep shining the light on human rights. Whether you plan to participate as a letter-writer, event organizer, event attendee or donor, you’ll be making a difference.

Choose one or more of these options: You can register online as an individual letter-writer. Join a letter-writing event in your community. Check out our map of events currently organized in Canada (watch for more as we get closer to December 10th!) Organize your own Write for Rights event – big or small – and invite friends, family, or colleagues to participate.

Yes, it does! We’ve learned that it takes persistence. Some countries can be more responsive than others and some high profile prisoners of conscience face repeat arrests. You can check out some of our past cases and success stories.

Every year, Amnesty International identifies people and communities at risk of human rights abuses worldwide who urgently seek solidarity and justice. This year we’ve picked 10 cases where Canada-wide and global activism can make a huge difference, right now.

Check out our Resources Page.

Most people are planning to write on December 10th to mark Human Rights Day. However, some events may take place earlier or later. We will be collecting letters until January 31st, 2024.

Of course! However, we strongly encourage you to register because it allows us to keep you in the loop, and helps us track the impact of participation across Canada! Registration is available online up until January 2024.

Write in any language in which you are fluent and feel most comfortable.

We invite you to set your own letter-writing goal: one, five, ten or more letters. Each letter makes a difference, especially when we remember that thousands of people are also sending letters, emails and tweets. No matter what you have time for, be sure to report your numbers so yours can be added to the global total!

Absolutely! Thousands of Canadians are members of our Urgent Action Network. This dynamic network allows members to receive an appeal from Amnesty as frequently as they choose and on the type of human rights issues that interest them. For example, you could ask to receive one appeal per month for women at risk, about threats of torture or about the death penalty.

You can host an event wherever you would like. You can host an in-person or virtual event. Here are some ideas of places where you could organize a Write for Rights event:

• schools
• community centres
• places of worship
• workplaces
• bookstores
• private homes

Everything you need to publicize and organize your event can be downloaded from the Resources page. We also provide access to organizers to our dedicated Media Relations and Communications team. They can help with press releases, media outreach, media coaching and other skills development.

It is strongly preferred to register online. Your event will automatically be entered on our event website. It’s a great tool to help you organize and allows you to be linked with the all the other Write for Rights events. Registering for Write for Rights is your pledge to participate in the event. It also gives us an indication of how many people are planning on participating and how many letters were written during the campaign. If you’d prefer to keep your event private, you can select a private event when you register.