Section outline
-
Hear from Gillian Wylie, Lecturer, Trinity College Dublin on the PAVE project's findings regarding the vulnerability and resilience factors related to inclusivity.
Source: PAVE Project. ‘’Gillian Wylie: Findings on Vulnerability and Resilience Factors Related to Inclusivity.’’ 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx_GSnD5MOs.
Fieldwork in the Western Balkans and the MENA region found dominant patriarchal values in the various forms of extremism explored, including ethno-nationalism, far-right extremism, and Islamist extremism. It is one of the common denominators built upon core assumptions of patriarchy and of the importance of maintaining male dominance over women. In both regions the level of women subjugated to patriarchal modes of social organization are high due to long consolidated cultures of gender stereotyping. The PAVE project also found a critical link between masculinity and violence, especially within societies that equate ‘what it means to be male’ with engaging in violent or destructive behavior to prove one’s manliness.
The role of women in relation to P/CVE has also been viewed disproportionately differently from the male-centered approaches to radicalization among local communities. A notable difference between the regions, however, is that the communities in the Western Balkans have a broader understanding of the important roles women have in local communities in relation to P/CVE. In the case of the MENA region, communities lack the broader knowledge and understanding of women’s roles in relation to deradicalization trends. Overall, the PAVE project heard from stakeholders that the biggest obstacle for women in further engaging and leading in preventing and countering violent extremism efforts is the barrier that they are still largely engaged through the lens of victims and caretakers rather than agents of change. There is also still a lack of common knowledge around women’s roles as active extremists as well.
Photo Source: Ethnic Albanian women march with placards, as thousands gather in the center of Pristina to protest against Serbian police action against the Albanian population in Kosovo province, Yugoslavia, 25 March 1998. Fightings between Albanians and Serbian riot police erupted again on Tuesday, leaving at least five Albanians and one Serb dead. Hasani, Adelina. “For Peace Today, Let’s Recall Wartime Yugolav Feminist Solidarity.” April 13, 2022. https://balkaninsight.com/2022/04/13/for-peace-today-lets-recall-wartime-yugoslav-feminist-solidarity
A similar discrepancy is also evident at the level of perceptions in the online deradicalization space. In the MENA region, radicalization has been found to be male-centered. This is partly because there is a clear lack of data or linkage due to the absent role of women in both offline and online deradicalization processes. In the Western Balkans however, radicalization trends point to a consistent targeting of women by the Islamic State (ISIS). Two major trends of radicalization are being utilized: narratives aimed to depict ISIS as an opportunity for empowerment of women; and narratives focused on the role of women as defenders of Islam.
There were also several push and pull factors found within both regions of the PAVE project. First, the dependence and unequal access to resources and opportunities which made women more vulnerable and often dependent on their male spouses. The fieldwork conducted in the MENA region shows that women face significant hurdles in the labor market, where they often receive less pay for the same jobs compared to men. A similar level of disenfranchisement and gendered alienation from active participation in the socio-economic sphere is evident in the Western Balkans.
Second, the unequal level of leadership and participation opportunities for women, including within faith institutions. Despite relatively substantial legal frameworks on gender equality, women’s limited agency in public life and in politics persists across the MENA and Western Balkans regions. A robust level of legislative initiatives has been noted in both Kosovo and Tunisia in relation to the institutionalization of protection mechanisms for women across public and political life. In the case of Kosovo for example, institutional checks in the form of international conventions and anti-discrimination, gender-equality primary legislation is evident, in addition to the existence of a centrally mandated gender-equality body. In the MENA region, specifically Tunisia, the same is evident through the transposition and effective ratification of major international conventions related to women’s rights, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The institutionalization of these legislative and legal checks however has not substantially impacted the role of women in these respective communities. In both cases, the effective implementation of international and national legal obligations on gender-equality remains scarce.
For the women who were in decision making positions, they faced a high-level of misogynistic discourse targeting their active participation in public and political life. As noted in the case of the MENA region, women who have assumed active roles in politics have been susceptible to verbal and physical violence directed at “female bodies”. While physical violence targeting women actively participating in politics has been limited in the Western Balkans, a high level of misogynistic verbal abuse is noted in the Kosovar and North Macedonian communities.
Photo Source: Serb group “Women in Black” stage an anti-violence protest on the International Women’s Day in the Serbian capital, Wednesday, 08 March, 2000. The peace organization is regularly organizing peace protests in the city but today’s rally was planned also in view of the women’s day celebrations. Sign reads “Stop Violence”. Hasani, Adelina. “For Peace Today, Let’s Recall Wartime Yugolav Feminist Solidarity.” April 13, 2022. https://balkaninsight.com/2022/04/13/for-peace-today-lets-recall-wartime-yugoslav-feminist-solidarity/.
PAVE did find however, that women play an essential part within civil society organizations working to strengthen community resilience. For example, in Serbia, women make up the majority of those involved as members of organizations involved in prevention efforts, and in fact, female civil activists lead not just Belgrade-based but also Sandžak-based organizations. In Kosovo, it was noted that women in general, and mothers in particular, are agents of change in the community. They notice the early elements of radicalization and violent extremism in children. The same was found with the presence of women in cultural and community events in the town of Kef in Tunisia.
Photo Source: Tunisian Women in a Protest About Stopping Radicalization. Youssef, Maro and Hamza Mighri. “Women’s Groups Take on Radicalization in Tunisia.” March 26, 2019. https://carnegieendowment.org/sada/78685.
While women’s leadership and participation are higher within civil society organizations, they are often viewed as leading a ‘western agenda.’ PAVE partners described that women are most often given permission by their male relatives to participate within these efforts because of their gendered roles as, ‘mothers and sisters,’ again restricting their full agency to be leaders of change in their own right as human beings and full community members. Many international-led efforts create further barriers to local women’s efforts when they do not consider local customs within their approach, creating a further divide.