RAN Small-scale expert meeting - Establishing Common Standards ‒ Gender-specific approaches in practical P/CVE, 15 May 2024

On 15 May, RAN Practitioners organised an online small-scale expert meeting to jointly discuss common standards for gender-specific approaches in practical P/CVE. Given the vast literature on the topic covering gender mainstreaming, gender-based analysis frameworks and gendered factors in radicalisation processes, the meeting focused on prioritising existing resources and derive implications for disengagement or distancing processes. The meeting brought together practitioners experienced in the field of gender-reflective social work, risk and resilience assessment, and behavioural psychology. 

The discussion centred around how gender-normed roles and expectations (or the disruption of these norms) can be a fundamental factor for individuals to join and remain in extremist groups. One of the core objectives of practical P/CVE approaches is to work towards (re-)gaining agency and self-determination for their clients. Unpacking extremist ideologies, belief systems and the function they fulfil for an individual enables the necessary room for reflection on ways forward within distancing processes. A crucial focus was set on discussing gender-specific approaches that consider the working realities of P/CVE front-line practitioners and that do not rely on ‘over-conceptualisation’. 

The following points constitute the key outcomes of the meeting: 

• P/CVE practice has taken a clearer gender-reflective stance over the past ten years, which is mainly expressed in the commitment to consider gender as a cross-cutting issue. 
• A nuanced exploration of the connection between extremism and misogyny is necessary. It is crucial to distinguish anti-feminism from anti-gender ideologies or misogyny to prevent unwarranted conflations. Misogyny should be recognised as a structural issue, extending beyond personal realms. Anti-feminism and anti-gender ideologies, on the other hand, describe political movements. 
• Misogynistic ideologies entail the potential to facilitate (unlikely) alliances and cooperation between diverse extremist actors that, otherwise, do not share a political agenda. 
• The biggest challenges lie in how knowledge and expertise on the topic of gender in P/CVE are translated into concrete practice, specifically how to proceed methodically and conceptually. In some areas, there is a lack of methodological tools to address and work on self-identified gaps and problem areas. 
• How gender is understood and coded in P/CVE practice and risk assessment is currently still up for debate. There is a need to clearly outline how gender is incorporated into practices and risk assessment, meaning these lenses should include males, females, and gender minority groups, including LGBTQI+ individuals.