Guide
How to Use the Daadkhast Platform
If your text is ready, you can upload it and complete the petition creation process in one quick step. Once the upload is finished, your petition will be saved and prepared for review and publication by the Daadkhast team.
Services Provided by the Daadkhast Team
Our services include:
- Refining the text for language accuracy.
- Fact-checking to ensure precision and alignment with reality.
- Reviewing the petition for legal compliance.
Within our capabilities, we also assist with translating the text into English or local languages if necessary.
Guidelines
Everything published on the Daadkhast platform must comply with our site guidelines. For more details, please refer to the Daadkhast site’s rules and regulations.
We particularly emphasize these two principles:
- Anyone publishing content on Daadkhast guarantees that the content does not insult anyone, violate anyone’s legal rights or infringe on anyone’s privacy.
- Daadkhast will not publish content that can be interpreted as arbitrarily portraying an individual or group as either a victim or an oppressor without a solid basis.
More Information on How to Create a Petition
What Title Should We Choose for Our Text?
The title is the first thing people notice about the text and is crucial in attracting an audience. The reader should quickly grasp what the text is about and understand what change is being advocated to address injustice or discrimination or to bring attention to a neglected issue.
Keep it Short
The title should be easily seen and understood at a glance and suitable for sharing on social media. Tip: Use around ten words!
Ensure the Title Reflects Your Demand
The title should convey the essence of your petition and your demand. This will increase the likelihood of readers who share your view reading and signing it.
Make it Engaging and Motivating
The title should be emotional and appeal to the reader’s awareness and empathy.
What is the Issue?
The text should not begin with a lengthy introduction. Get straight to the point, explain the background if necessary, and return to the issue and the demand at the end. This structure helps in creating an optimal text:
- Briefly and directly describe the problem that concerns you.
- Explain what it is and provide context.
- Clarify the change that should happen.
Clear and Specific Demand
The issue and demand must be clear. A single petition cannot solve all the world’s problems, so the text needs to stay focused on one issue.
Clean and Just Language
The text should have a legal tone without needing specialized legal jargon. Harsh words, insults, excessive adjectives, exaggeration, and verbosity diminish the text’s appeal and impact. Avoid making unwarranted accusations against individuals.
Your Issue is My Issue Too
The text should attract as many people as possible. Remember that people may agree with the core issue but not how it is expressed. My problem is yours, so let’s try to bring our languages closer together.
The Decision-Maker as the Audience
Every petition typically has an audience—the individual or entity capable of making a decision or taking action in accordance with the demand presented in the text. In petitioning language, this individual or entity is called the “decision-maker.”
Naturally, the “decision-maker” should be someone who has the authority to act on the issue. For example, suppose our demand is for measures to prevent workplace accidents. In that case, we should address the petition like a letter to someone like the Minister of Labor rather than the President, even though the President is also responsible for the issue.
Email of the Decision-Maker
Find the decision-maker’s email address so the text and signatures can be sent to that address. (If you don’t have the email, don’t delay the process. The Daadkhast team will make efforts to find it.)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How can a petition help us?
A petition can amplify the petitioner’s voice and bring it to the community’s attention. It can raise public awareness about a social or political issue. Addressing various officials and decision-makers at local, national, or international levels can urge them to be accountable and take action. A petition can be the catalyst for social or political change. Even a small change can improve people’s civic lives.
What is the benefit of signing a petition?
A petition turns the voice of a single petitioner into a collective voice. By launching a campaign on a specific issue and gathering more support and signatures, the call for justice is amplified. Hundreds or even thousands of people may sign a petition; a collective voice is harder to ignore.
What is the first step in creating a petition? What are the stages of writing a petition?
You can start with a brief text outlining the problem, whether it’s a violation of rights, harm to individual or collective life, or any social issue that concerns you. Just as you would informally discuss a problem with a friend, you should describe the issue here without any unnecessary details.
What should be the different sections of a petition?
The main section of a petition should describe the issue or problem for which a solution is sought. If you know the person(s) responsible for the situation, identify them. Petitions are usually addressed to an official believed to have the power to help resolve the issue.
How long should a petition be?
It’s better to keep the petition short. Shorter petitions tend to have more readers. There’s no need for a long introduction; get straight to the point. The petition text can be one or several paragraphs.
Can I get help from the Daadkhast platform in writing and drafting a petition?
Yes. The Daadkhast team is always ready to edit and refine your text if necessary.
Do the writer and drafter of a petition need to use their real name and email address?
No. As the petition’s writer, you can use a pseudonym and an alternative email address.
Are there any topics that are prohibited from being addressed in a petition?
A petition can raise any topic related to justice or social change. Guidelines about privacy and avoiding offensive language are available in the “Guide” section of the Daadkhast site.
Can the Daadkhast platform send a petition on behalf of the writer to the relevant authority or decision-making body?
Yes, if a significant number of signatures are collected for a petition, we may send it to the relevant Iranian or foreign decision-maker and request a response. This decision is at the discretion of the Daadkhast team. However, as the petition organizer, you can always independently send it along with the collected signatures to the relevant authority. On the Daadkhast site, you can download a print version of the petition that includes the signatures.
What happens after a petition is published?
After publication on the official Daadkhast website (https://www.daadkhast.org), we expect you as the petition organizer to spread the word. Please share it with friends and acquaintances and ask them to promote it through various channels and on social media. You can use the social sharing buttons below your petition. You can also copy the petition’s URL and share it via email or messaging apps. The Daadkhast team will promote your petition on our social media channels like Telegram, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, encouraging the Daadkhast community to support, sign, and share it. In some instances, the Daadkhast team reserves the right to reduce its promotion, especially if similar petitions have already been introduced.
I submitted a petition, but it hasn’t been published yet. Why?
The Daadkhast team usually publishes most petitions received, but not all. There could be various reasons for a petition not being published, but most often, it’s because the same issue has already been covered in one or more other petitions. It’s also possible that a petition does not comply with the site’s guidelines and principles outlined in the “Guide.” We usually provide feedback to the petition organizer and inform them of this (if their email is valid). In other cases, there may be a slight delay in publishing a petition due to the order of submissions.
