International Studies Journal (ISJ)

International Studies Journal (ISJ)

The Use of the Boomerang Theory to Support Victims of Sexual Violence in the United States

Document Type : Original Independent Original Article

Authors
Mohammad Davand 1
Mohammad Reza Anjomshoaa 2
1 Department of Islamic knowledge, Ke.C., Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran
2 PhD in Quranic and Hadith Studies - University of Islamic Sciences Razavi Level 4 Seminary Student, Khorasan Seminary
10.22034/isj.2026.499441.2280
Abstract
Sexual violence against women in the United States, as a violation of human rights, requires innovative approaches to strengthen support for victims and to prevent adverse social consequences (problem statement and significance). This study addresses the central research question of how the boomerang theory can explain inadequate support or negative societal reactions toward victims of sexual violence from a human rights perspective, and what strategies it can propose to enhance effective, human-rights–based support (research question). The study adopts an analytical–explanatory methodology (method), and its theoretical framework is grounded in the boomerang theory within the field of human rights, which explains how legal advocacy and supportive agency efforts, when perceived as threats to individual or cultural freedoms, may paradoxically intensify human rights violations (theoretical framework). The findings indicate that human-rights–based supportive messages can produce a boomerang effect when they appear coercive or controlling, thereby reducing support for victims; by contrast, approaches grounded in universal human rights principles—such as empathy and voluntary participation—demonstrate a greater capacity to enhance support (findings). Extreme individualism, discriminatory gender attitudes, and the dominance of top-down governmental approaches lacking meaningful civil society participation constitute major obstacles to the realization of the human rights of sexual violence victims in the United States (conclusion). Finally, limited access to international human rights legal data and the reliance on theoretical analysis without empirical field data represent the primary limitations of this research (limitations).

Highlights

Introduction

Sexual violence against women in the United States is one of the most prominent examples of gross human rights violations, encompassing a wide range of issues, including rape, femicide, human trafficking, and sex trafficking. According to reliable reports, one in six American women has been raped or sexually abused in her lifetime; about three women are murdered by their sexual partners every day; and more than 240,000 women and girls are victims of sexual slavery. Despite the extensive efforts of various movements such as MeToo and awareness campaigns by international organizations (such as reports by Human Rights Watch), evidence shows that social support for victims sometimes decreases and negative reactions such as victim stigmatization, denial of the problem, or even cultural backlash increase. This paradoxical phenomenon, in which support efforts tend to reduce support rather than increase it, requires a theoretical explanation. Boomerang theory, based on psychological response theory, explains that coercive or controlling messages, by threatening individual or cultural freedom, create resistance and reinforce opposing attitudes. The necessity of the present study is because, despite the large volume of human rights campaigns in the United States, the basic understanding of the psychological dynamics of these negative reactions is limited. Analyzing the boomerang effect from a human rights perspective not only helps to explain inadequate support, but also provides the possibility of providing practical solutions to strengthen sustainable support based on universal human rights principles. Among the objectives of the study, the following can be mentioned: Explaining the phenomenon of negative reactions to victims of sexual violence using boomerang theory in the framework of human rights and identifying the factors that create the boomerang effect in support campaigns. Cases that answer the main and secondary research questions, such as: How can boomerang theory explain the phenomenon of inadequate support for victims of sexual violence in the United States from a human rights perspective? Or what factors cause the boomerang effect in human rights campaigns? Previous research on violence against women in the United States has focused largely on descriptive and statistical analyses, providing a clear picture of the scale of the problem. While valuable, previous research has largely been limited to describing statistics and trends, with little in the way of innovative analysis, such as combining social psychology with human rights frameworks. The innovation of this study is in providing an applied analysis of negative reactions to advocacy campaigns that uses new conceptual models to explore hidden factors such as cultural resistance and declining social support. This innovation moves the research from a purely descriptive mode to an applied modeling mode.

 

Methodology

This study uses an analytical-explanatory approach based on secondary analysis of human rights documents, reports of international organizations, and existing studies. The main goal of this approach is to explain the phenomenon of negative reactions to campaigns in support of victims of sexual violence in the United States from a human rights perspective, without the need to collect primary field data. Focusing on existing data allows for the integration of socio-psychological concepts with international legal frameworks and places the research in the field of theoretical human rights studies. The main method of data collection is a systematic literature review, which is carried out based on standard protocols such as PRISMA to ensure its comprehensiveness and replicability. In addition, the method of analysis of the article is based on qualitative thematic analysis with an inductive-deductive approach.

 

Results and Discussion

The main themes including "factors of negative reactions", "consequences of support campaigns", and "human rights-based solutions" were identified and categorized. This research relies on secondary data and lacks primary field data (such as interviews or surveys), which may limit the empirical depth of the research. Also, the focus on English-language sources may ignore some local and indigenous perspectives. This methodology, with its emphasis on comprehensiveness and transparency, allows for the production of valid knowledge in the fields of human rights and social psychology, and provides a solid foundation for the paper’s findings and practical recommendations. The research findings are based on a review of over 70 reliable secondary sources, including peer-reviewed articles, NGO reports, and analytical media such as Amnesty International, and reveal common patterns of reduced social support, increased victim stigma, and cultural resistance. The main factors behind these responses include coercive and controlling messages, an overemphasis on prevalence in descriptive normative messages, gender and culturally discriminatory attitudes, government approaches without civil society participation, and backlash in high-risk groups. For example, the prescriptive tone of campaigns (such as the emphasis on mandatory reporting) creates a psychological response and threatens individual freedom, leading to increased negative attitudes. Studies show that these approaches have the opposite effect and increase the propensity for violence in high-risk or even low-risk men. In addition, emphasizing high statistics can normalize violence and delay changes in norms. In addition, direct messages create a hostile response and increase social stigma, which have led to public denial of the problem and reduced reporting. Even government programs and policies that are designed and implemented without the active cooperation and participation of civil society can have the opposite effect and, instead of achieving the desired goals, create unintended consequences.

 

Conclusion

This study, with an analytical-explanatory approach and secondary analysis of human rights reports and by applying the boomerang theory to explain negative reactions to campaigns in support of victims of sexual violence against women in the United States, shows that despite the expansion of human rights campaigns and legal advances, the phenomenon of decreasing social support, increasing stigmatization of the victim, and cultural backlash in various dimensions of sexual violence (such as complete and incomplete rape, femicide, and human trafficking (women)) continues. These negative reactions are largely rooted in common psychosocial factors: coercive and controlling messages that threaten individual freedom, an overemphasis on prevalence in descriptive normative messages that normalize the phenomenon, or state approaches without civil society participation that create a sense of external imposition. These factors, observed in all instances of sexual violence, not only undermine social and legal protection for victims, but can also perpetuate gross violations of human rights, including human dignity, non-discrimination, and the right to effective protection in accordance with the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the CEDAW Convention. This article shows that a fundamental rethink is needed in the design of human rights campaigns and suggests that approaches based on non-coercive messages, empathy and personal storytelling, the integration of normative norms, broad civil society participation, and continuous pre-test evaluation be adopted. By reducing threats to freedom and increasing voluntary participation, these strategies can strengthen sustainable support for victims and effectively reduce human rights violations.

Keywords
boomerang theory
psychological reactance
sexual violence
victim support
human rights
women
United States
Subjects
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