lang: en
Summary
In 2006, Iranian women’s rights activists launched the One Million Signatures campaign to pressure Parliament to reform gender-discriminatory laws. The campaign collected signatures through face-to-face dialogue, workshops, and online outreach, despite government repression. While they did not reach their signature goal within two years, they successfully blocked a bill that would have promoted polygamy and won several international awards.
Background
After Iran’s 1979 revolution, women lost many rights they had previously gained. The One Million Signatures campaign aimed to reform laws that discriminated against women in marriage, divorce, inheritance, and other areas, and to educate the public about these issues. The campaign sought to work within the existing system and was independent of political parties and NGOs.
What happened
The campaign was officially launched on August 27, 2006, at a seminar titled ‘The Impact of Laws on Women’s Lives,’ but security forces prevented the seminar from taking place indoors, forcing it into the streets [source: nv-database]. Activists used face-to-face dialogue, door-to-door collection, group events, and the internet to gather signatures [source: nv-database]. The government systematically blocked the campaign website over ten times, warned media not to cover the campaign, and arrested 43 members, 15 for collecting signatures [source: nv-database]. Despite repression, the campaign grew to nearly 1,000 trained activists in 15 provinces [source: nv-database]. In 2008, activists protested a government bill that would tax prenuptial arrangements and promote polygamy; the bill was passed on September 9, 2008, without the polygamy and tax provisions [source: nv-database]. The campaign received the Olof Palme Prize 2008, the Simone de Beauvoir prize, and the Global Women’s Rights award [source: nv-database].
Key people & organizations
- Majles (parliament)
- Change for Equality website
Tactics used
The campaign combined mass petitioning with face-to-face education to build grassroots support and apply direct pressure on Parliament, while using workshops and online platforms to train activists and document experiences. [source: nv-database]
Outcome
Verdict: partial.
The campaign achieved partial success: it did not collect one million signatures within two years, but it successfully blocked a bill promoting polygamy and raised public awareness. The campaign survived repression and continued to grow, winning international recognition. [source: nv-database]
Lessons
- Face-to-face dialogue can build public support and change cultural attitudes even under repression.
- A grassroots campaign independent of political parties can avoid stigma and maintain focus on its goals.
- Repression can strengthen solidarity and expand the campaign’s reach.
Sources
- Global Nonviolent Action Database —
[[nv-database]]
Disclaimer: Included as a teaching example of campaign craft, not as endorsement.
Sources & verification
nv-database— grounding: primary — license: link-only- Rewritten: 2026-06-25 via
worker_casestudies_v2.py