Redressing the Balance: How Human Rights Defenders Can Use Victim Narratives to Confront the Violence of Armed Groups

Armed groups have distinct personalities as organizations and in an age of “franchise terrorism” where the “brand” associated with a given terrorist group can inspire copycat violence, human rights defenders must engage narratives as well as actions if they wish to remain relevant. A precedent exists in attempts over the past decade to hold transnational corporations to human rights standards. Compelling social science theory and qualitative evidence suggests that by challenging armed group narratives of legitimacy and promise, human rights defenders can effectively erode complicit support for terrorist violence.