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The Biggest People Powered Victories of 2017

2017 was a difficult year for many, but time and time again people on Change.org came together to support one another. Especially when times got tough. The little things people did, like sign a petition or sharing something on social media, may have seemed small, but together they made a huge difference.

In 2017 people like you took more actions online than we have ever seen, and that resulted in changes that have dramatically transformed people’s lives up and down the country for the better.

We tried to include all the incredible things people did, but with a petition winning in the UK every other day this year, honestly you would have been reading this for days.

So instead, here’s a few of the biggest victories people like you made happen in 2017:

When the Government threatened to axe free school lunches, people fought back and ensured they stayed free for children that are most in need.

When mum of two, Sasha, was denied treatment for Leukaemia on the NHS, thousands of strangers stepped in to help. They raised the money for her treatment and changed the law to help others in Sasha’s position.

People came together to speak up when dogs that served in Afghanistan were going to be put down. People power saved their lives and helped find them new loving homes.

Yvonne’s partner Billy and five of his colleagues were wrongly imprisoned in India. Thanks to public pressure they are back home. Yvonne and Billy are now planning their wedding!

Shocked by increasing incidents of acid attacks people came together to call on the Home Office to take action. This petition was one of the fastest growing in 2017 and forced the Home Secretary to create an action plan to combat the crime.

49,000 men, like famous mathematician Alan Turing, were criminalised under historic anti-gay laws. After years of campaigning the Government pardoned these men this year.

In 2017, by refusing to stand by when faced with injustice, people like you changed policy, laws and opinions. You transformed people’s lives.

People came together to make incredible things happen thousands of times in 2017 – but we only had the space to mention a few.

What moments stuck out to you in 2017? Please join us on Facebook and tell us about the moments we missed.

Happy new year!

 

The incredible things that happened on Change.org this year would have been impossible without our subscribers who chip in to keep the platform free, open and independent. Will you help make sure injustices don’t go unheard in 2018 by making a small monthly contribution?

Written by
Change.org
December 29, 2017 2:01 pm