Preventing violent extremism

You can’t prevent violent extremism, unless you commit to building peace and security. We know that violent extremism rarely happens in a vacuum. It is one possible outcome of conflict, inequality and injustice. What drives someone to join an extremist group differs from place to place and from person to person.

Our work on PVE starts with working closely with communities affected by conflict. We listen to their daily experiences of insecurity and explore the different social, political and individual drivers of conflict at a local, national and regional level, to build a picture that moves beyond hard security approaches to a prioritisation of what would make the biggest difference to everyday security in people’s lives.

Using research and dialogue we focus on engaging honestly and openly with this complexity. Our research in the Sahel determined that real or perceived state abuse is the number one factor behind young people’s decision to join violent extremist groups. We talk with decision-makers, strive to strengthen relationships, improve understanding and develop responses that are rooted in addressing the political, social and gendered dynamics that drive the conflicts of which violent extremism is a part.