Spotlight on Gender

The topic of ‘gender and P/CVE’ has risen to prominence in recent years. ‘Gender’ in P/CVE has a number of meanings. It means that practitioners must think about gender when both understanding the problem and designing solutions to it. To this end, it is widely recognised that gender dynamics can play a significant role both in how an individual might become (self-) radicalised and in how violent extremists might target and recruit. With this in mind, it is important to empower both men and women to play a role in P/CVE and ensure that both male and female perspectives are considered when designing P/CVE approaches.

There are a number of gender-related challenges facing practitioners today, from the rise of the violent incel movement and issues surrounding new masculinity and gender identity, including queer and trans rights, to the return of women and children from refugee camps and conflict zones, and underlying gender inequality and gender-based discrimination, to name but a few. Understanding these dynamics and taking into account the gendered aspects of violent extremism is critical for practitioners when designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating P/CVE programmes.