There is need to continue mobilizing and pushing for prevention and counter violent extremism (PCVE) related policy reforms so as to mainstream gender and ensure the full participation of communities at the grassroots level – women are central actors in PCVE as they are connected to the cultural, social and political fabric of their communities and therefore able to identify early warning signs of radicalization and thus prevent terrorism.
This was revealed during a cross-country PCVE exchange and learning dialogue on localizing preventing and countering violent extremism strategies in Kenya and Indonesia that was attended by Kenyan and Indonesian Counter terrorism officials, civil society organizations in peace and security and international funders.
Kenya was represented by the National Counter Terrorism Centre Chief Liaison Officer, Mr. Joseph Kanyiri while Indonesia was represented by Mr. Andrika Chrisnayudhanto who is the Deputy for International Co-operation Indonesia Counter Terrorism Agency BNPT.
The meeting, which brought together 17 Civil Society Organizations in the area of peace, security and human rights underscored the need to redefine security to include social justice, and the protection of human rights through localization initiatives that ensured that the unique social cultural and political dynamics of each area were addressed.
Mr. Rick Van Der Woud the Chief Executive Officer Mensen met een Missie and JISRA consortium lead noted the extensive efforts made to counter violent extremism threats in both Kenya and Indonesia though localized initiatives.
He observed the power of local initiatives in PCVE which, he said had the capacity to lay tangible local foundations in addressing violent extremism as local people understood how local criminal groups operate.
“The localization of National Action Plans to County Action Plans has played a key contribution in ensuring that women play their role in PCVE,” he said, adding that there was need for peer-to-peer learning that would enable develop and implement recommendations to advance PCVE work.
Mr. Woud also called upon both the governments to address the issue of humiliation of youth and suspected of criminal activities noting that humiliation, such as use of words that hurt had the capacity to reduce the human dignity of the suspect, create ground for breeding support and deny actors the chance to understand how radicalization works.
“Humiliation is a poison that creates division and can never be used as a tool of justice. Local religious leaders and government should work together to build action and resilient communities that would work against VE by pursuing aspects that promote human dignity,” he said.
The Chief Liaison Officer at the National Counter Terrorism Center Joseph Kanyiri said that Kenya had been able to reduce the effects of terrorism through the implementation of the National Counter Terrorism Strategy which had been cascaded to the 47 counties where it was domesticated as County Action Plans.
The National Counter Terrorism Strategy which has been in place for the last 8 years is now under review for the period between 2024-2029.
The government hopes that the document that underscores respect for constitutionalism, human rights and psychosocial support will be ready for implementation by January 2025.
The five-chapter document has gone through public participation to understand the lessons learnt, open more spaces, transform the pillars to working groups and give prominence to women youth and male mentors.
The high-level meeting under the Joint Initiative for Strategic Religious Action in Kenya and and Indonesia brought together government, international funders, and civil society actors in the peace and security sector in Kenya and Indonesia. The dialogue was hosted by the Kenya Community Support Centre (KECOSCE), a Mombasa based peace and security non-governmental organization.
The meeting was intended to share, learn and reveal experiences and approaches in prevention and countering violent extremism in Kenya and Indonesia.
