Growing up in a violent extremist environment: an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) as ‘any other’?
Children of violent radicalised families (returnees, Islamic or right-wing violent extremists) live or have lived under circumstances that may be harmful to their development. Much attention goes to the early recognition of radicalisation processes in teens and young adults, in order to prevent violent extremism for the sake of national security. However, there may be […]
Multi-disciplinary approaches to support children growing up in violent extremist environments
Growing up in a family environment marked by violent extremism can impact children in numerous ways. It is therefore necessary to put into effect individually-tailored multi-disciplinary approaches to support these children’s reintegration. Children exposed to Islamist and far-right extremist narratives and violence, whether at home or in conflict zones, may experience varying levels of emotional […]
Trainings for first-line practitioners working in the field of violent extremism: An overview of good practices
First-line practitioners refers to professionals working in educational institutions, juvenile systems, youth and social care, and individuals working with children on a long-term basis. These professionals work with children and young people from a range of backgrounds including those exposed to and affected by violent extremism. First-line practitioners can play a key role in identifying […]
Growing up in the blind spot of society – Children of far-right violent extremist families
Past research on violent extremism and terrorism has had a clear focus on jihadism in comparison to far-right extremism. When researching children raised in extremist families, it quickly becomes clear that there are far more publications on children of Islamist parents than on children in far-right extremist families as well. PREPARE is unique in that […]
Rule-of-law and human rights-based approaches towards children of violent extremist parents
Rights of the Child According to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, children should not be subject to discrimination on the basis of the religious or political beliefs of the parent(s). Yet, the societal bias, sensationalism, and exceptionalism often associated with violent extremism undoubtedly increases the risks of stigma and securitisation of […]
Risk and Protective Factors for Child Returnees – Insights from the PREPARE workshop
On the 11th of May, the first PREPARE workshop took place in The Hague, gathering insights from professionals from across Europe with expertise related to interactions with children who grow up in violent extremist families. Both unique and prominent risk and protective factors for the well-being of children returning from Syria or Iraq were a […]
First PREPARE workshop in The Hague – Expert opinions on children living in violent extremist families
On the 10th and 11th May 2022, the PREPARE partners met in The Hague, Netherlands, for an internal partner meeting, as well as for hosting their first workshop with external professionals who discussed the PREPARE project and provided their expert insights into the vulnerabilities and risk factors of children from violent extremist families. On the […]
Questioning biases – how can Gender-based Analysis Plus support the research work in PREPARE?
Funded by the European Commission, the main objective of PREPARE is to identify the vulnerabilities and stigmas children may face when they are exposed to violent extremist environments. The project follows a human-rights, rule-of-law, and gender-informed approach. Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) is an analytical process used to assess how different women, men and gender diverse […]
Enhancing the resilience of vulnerable children exposed to violent extremist environments
PREPARE (Promoting collaborative policies of inclusion relating to children of far right and Islamist parents in Western Europe) is a new EU-funded project that started in January 2022. Funded by the European Commission, PREPARE is a response to the ISFP-2020-AG-RAD call, whose objective is to develop effective responses and tools to prevent and counter all […]
