Human Rights Organizations and Shaming Tactics: Using Anti-Racist Cues to Hone the Messaging

Human Rights Organizations (HROs) often use a criticism tactic, known as shaming, to pressure foreign governments that commit human rights violations to stop their abuses. The study underlying this brief sought to understand whether shaming could fuel racism against citizens and diasporas from shamed countries, and whether HROs themselves could be perceived as racist for adopting the tactic (as certain shamed countries have alleged). The study found that shaming decreased support for shamed countries, but did not fuel racism against citizen or diaspora populations. If HROs face a racial dilemma, it is more about how to shame without appearing racist. When shaming included an antiracist cue denouncing racism, respondents perceived it as less racist. The brief provides three recommendations based on these findings.