PREPARE Final Conference – Engaging with children from violent extremist families

Brussels, Royal Library of Belgium

Tuesday 13 June 2023 | 11:00 – 18:00 CET

Currently, there are over 37,000 foreign nationals in the Al-Hol and Roj camps in Syria. Over half of the population in these camps are children, living in alarming conditions, lacking basic needs, and exposed to violence and exploitation. Increasing efforts are being made to repatriate children from former ISIS-held territories to their home countries in Europe. Simultaneously, practitioners in Europe increasingly encounter children raised in families with links to violent extremism, including children from Right-wing extremist families. Front-line practitioners have expressed the need to better understand the experiences and lived realities of children raised in families with exposure to violent extremism to better identify their needs.  

The EC-funded PREPARE Project contributes to a better understanding of how family involvement in violent extremism impacts the lives of children. In turn, PREPARE identifies approaches to support their development and well-being.   

Based on the extensive empirical evidence base gathered throughout the last 18 months, the project’s final event will discuss the following questions:  

What unique risks and vulnerabilities do children growing up in Jihadist and Far-Right violent extremist environments face? How should practitioners engage with children from violent extremist families? 

Over this 1-day conference, the PREPARE team were joined by experts and practitioners to present and discuss the current practices and approaches to working with children from violent extremist families in Europe. This included a keynote speaker and expert panel discussion, and an opportunity to come review the projects outputs. 

Discover PREPARE’s targeted support for practitioners who are working with these children in our live demonstration sessions, including:  

  • Our Train-the-Trainer programme developed to increase practitioners’ knowledge and to offer practical tips when engaging with children from families with violent extremist links.  
  • Our Child Vulnerability and Intervention proof-of-concept Tool aimed at guiding practitioners to select appropriate interventions to support these children. 

 

Morning sessions (11:30 – 13:30) were also live-streamed online.  

Watch the recording of the final conference