Within the context of the Managing Juveniles in Detention Initiative established by the Global Counterterrorism Forum’s Detention and Reintegration Working Group, this policy brief puts forth guiding principles, recommendations, and considerations for the detention, rehabilitation, and reintegration of juveniles convicted of terrorism and violent extremism-related crimes in a manner that upholds the principles and safeguards of juvenile justice. Funded by the government of Australia, adopted by the Global Counterterrorism Forum, and prepared by the Global Center and the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague (ICCT), it expands on the Neuchâtel Memorandum on Good Practices for Juvenile Justice in a Counterterrorism Context.
The recommendations presented in the brief derive from a larger research report to be published in early 2017, prepared in collaboration with the University of Leiden. Together, the reports advance a juvenile justice approach for authorities responsible for the care of detained juvenile violent extremist offenders, drawing from good practices in international juvenile justice, the emerging body of principles and practices in the detention of adult violent extremist offenders, and the national experiences in demobilizing and reintegrating child combatants.
There is considerable international interest in programs that seek to rehabilitate and reintegrate violent extremist offenders (VEOs) and prevent prisoners from becoming radicalized. There are a number of reasons for this interest, including the high social and political impact of terrorism, ongoing concerns about prisons and prisoners being especially vulnerable to radicalization to violent extremism, accounts of VEOs who initially became interested in extremism while in prison, and the increasing numbers of incarcerated VEOs in certain states, many of whom will at some point be released into wider society. Identifying and designing so-called deradicalization or disengagement programs—or perhaps more appropriately risk reduction programs—that are proven to be impactful and understanding why remains a considerable challenge. So-called what-works principles underlying programs to prevent other forms of offending behavior have been established in the criminological and forensic psychological literature over recent decades. The key what-works principles are risk, need, and responsivity.
This policy brief provides a unique practitioners’ perspective on the application of so-called what-works principles, which underlie programs to prevent a variety of forms of offending behavior, to programs and interventions that aim to address violent extremism in prisons and probation. It presents a set of transparent working principles to improve the design and delivery of these programs that can hopefully be examined and tested over time to help refine our knowledge and understanding to prevent violent extremists from reoffending.
Over the past few years, there has been an increase in multilateral norms and principles recognizing the critical roles of women in preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE). However, there is less attention to the practical dimensions of implementing a gender dimension into P/CVE efforts, as well as strategic coordination with the women, peace, and security (WPS) agenda and other fields, such as development and human rights, which for a long time have advanced comprehensive approaches to gender integration.
This policy brief, produced by the Global Center and Inclusive Security, explores ways of enhancing a cross-sectoral approach to integrating inclusion of gender and women as a core component of the United Nations and member state P/CVE efforts while developing a closer understanding of the potential points of convergence between the P/CVE and WPS agendas. It takes stock of multilateral efforts in this area and concludes with a set of practical recommendations for UN member states, entities, and stakeholders on ways to integrate attention to gender and enhance women’s meaningful inclusion in P/CVE.
Local, rather than national actors, are often better positioned to prevent the spread of violent extremism within their communities, including by identifying early signs of radicalization and intervening before it leads to the kind of violence we continue to see far too often in cities around the world. Supporting and sustaining such efforts globally requires, among other things, updating the international architecture for addressing terrorism and violent extremism, which has been focused almost entirely on national governments and driven by their security concerns.
This policy brief highlights how multilateral fora like the United Nations and Global Counterterrorism Forum need to enhance the involvement of community-level actors in their counterterrorism and CVE discussions. More fundamentally, however, the brief calls for developing and supporting a durable sub-national cooperation architecture to facilitate collaboration and networking among the growing numbers of local actors contributing to CVE efforts. It also argues for more space for subnational actors and non-traditional stakeholders within national counterterrorism strategies to ensure inclusive and well-informed CVE approaches are central parts of such frameworks.
It is well documented that economic and social development are better attained in the absence of violent conflict. Relatedly, a consensus is building that violent extremism and terrorism are both international security and development issues. However, a gap remains between the policies, practices, and tools used by those concerned with international security and those responsible for stabilization and development cooperation. The gap exists at an organizational level within governments and other bureaucracies and in implementation of programming on the ground. An integrated approach has the potential to play a stronger role in strengthening community resilience against violent extremism and reducing many of its enabling factors.
This policy brief examines the nexus between countering violent extremism and development assistance, looking specifically at opportunities and risks, different approaches taken by donor organizations, and the impact on programs and implementers. It highlights lessons learned and emerging practices, and provides recommendations that could increase their efficiency and impact.
Across South Asia, civil society has made important contributions to enhancing rule of law–based efforts to prevent and counter terrorism and violent extremism. Its role as advocate, monitor, technical expert, trainers, service provider, and information hub complements the efforts of law enforcement and security actors, and many opportunities exist for partnerships. Civil society actors have also played an important role in promoting development, improved governance and human rights in the region and a resilient social contract between citizens and the state.
This policy brief reflects on these contributions and explores opportunities for civil society to support cooperative regional efforts to respond to terrorism and violent extremism. It draws largely from a workshop titled “Strengthening Rule of Law–Based Responses to Terrorism and Violent Extremism in South Asia: What Role for Civil Society?” which was organized by the Global Center in partnership with the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore and the Institute for Inclusive Security. Following an overview of the limitations and challenges faced by civil society actors in the region, this brief offers a set of recommendations for policymakers and practitioners with a view to informing the design and implementation of programming to prevent violent extremism and terrorism in South Asia.
Remittance funds sent by the diaspora are often noted as a lifeline for Somalia, comprising a significant component of the economy and covering the costs of basic necessities such as food, education, and health care for millions of Somalis. Beyond providing vital support for short-term sustenance needs, many members of the Somali diaspora view sending remittances as a cultural tradition and a personal contribution to the rebuilding of their communities, including investment in the growth of business enterprises, financial stability, and economic development across Somalia.
This policy brief examines the Danish-Somali remittance corridor against the backdrop of recent MSB bank account closures, including those in the United Kingdom and the United States. It provides insight into MSB operations and remittance sending practices in Denmark, as well as background on the Somali diaspora there. The brief was informed by a combination of desk research and field consultations with Somali community members in the Danish cities of Aalborg, Aarhus, and Copenhagen. The brief offers recommendations to key actors including Danish AML/CFT regulatory authorities, Somali MSBs, and Danish financial institutions holding Somali MSB bank accounts, with the objective of preventing similar account closures in Denmark.
Efforts to prevent and counter violent extremism have increasingly sought to engage youth, communities, and marginalized groups, including women, with the intent to address some of the underlying grievances and conditions that can create an enabling environment for extremist groups to generate support and recruits. Sports, arts, and culture offer much-underutilized platforms to address some of these conditions and help develop resonant and effective counternarratives to reflect local and regional dynamics. As the 2015 U.S. National Security Strategy notes, in the long term, such efforts “will be more important than our capacity to remove terrorists from the battlefield.”
This brief explores the history of cultural diplomacy and use of sports in conflict situations; examines relevant lessons learned and good practices that can inform the integration of sports, arts, and culture into countering violent extremism (CVE) efforts; and offers practical recommendations for policymakers and practitioners in the CVE field. The brief draws on desk research, discussions with practitioners and policymakers, and discussions at a workshop on the topic co-hosted by the Global Center and Hedayah in May 2014.
On 24 September, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2178 with the support of over 120 states representing a broad cross-section of the UN membership. Resolution 2178 called on all UN member states to ensure increased border security and to screen for or arrest foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) travelling to or returning from conflict areas. Rightly so, it also urges states to counter violent extremism by taking preventive measures, such as engaging with communities at the local level to stop the spread of extremist ideologies.
On 23 October 2014, the Global Center, the Human Security Collective, and the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague convened an expert meeting at the European Union (EU) in Brussels to discuss the implications of the resolution and to explore appropriate and effective responses to the threat of FTFs, both within the EU and as part of the Union’s foreign security and development programming.
Building upon the discussion in Brussels, this policy brief is a compilation of essays from all three organizations on the challenges and opportunities for addressing the FTF threat from a European Union perspective. It also examines the implementation of Resolution 2178 as an integral part of national and multilateral foreign security and development policies and initiatives.
The widely endorsed adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2178 reflects an understanding by the international community that the response to the threat posed by violent, transnational, and nonstate groups, like the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), must be multidimensional. This brief explores the evolution of the UN’s response to transnational terrorism since 2001, including the emergence of new international actors, and highlights the innovative focus on “countering violent extremism” or “CVE” in the resolution. Moreover, the brief highlights the new opportunities presented by the resolution to underscore the critical role of human rights and foster a more balanced response going forward. Arguing that the world body should adopt an approach that is cognizant of existing efforts but also strategic in adding value, this brief sets out a number of practical recommendations for the UN and key stakeholders to consider in their efforts to implement Resolution 2178.
