Empowered Women, Peaceful Communities: Results and lessons learned from the regional programme on preventing violent extremism in South and Southeast Asia

Abstract

Violent extremism affects women and girls differently from men, and often experience serious violations of their rights, including sexual violence. Further, counterterrorism policies can unintentionally curtail women’s rights and impact their quality of life. Increasingly, women are becoming recruits to these groups — forcibly or willingly — and are playing a role in recruiting other women and men.

But women are not just victims or perpetrators of this phenomenon. Many have been and continue to be on the front lines of prevention efforts. Their multifaceted roles include shaping community and family values, influencing potential recruits’ decision-making and identifying early signs of radicalization to intervene before they lead to terrorism. In some instances, women imams preach religious tolerance, women activists use different forms of media to promote counternarratives and women police officers engage with local communities to collect information.