Chapter 2 of this guide examines the gender dimensions of child and youth involvement in terrorism-related contexts. The report identifies significant gaps in child justice frameworks, noting that children and young people facing terrorism-related charges often lack adapted, gender-responsive safeguards. It finds that existing regulatory and criminal justice frameworks are largely gender-blind and do not holistically consider how gender and age intersect with other identity factors. The chapter also highlights the limited research on the relationship between gender, crime, and terrorism as it pertains to children, emphasizing the need for further study.
The report recommends stronger attention to gendered impacts and to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) experienced in the context of violent extremism, including increased support for youth victims of terrorism. It notes a lack of gender-specific considerations in approaches to the rehabilitation, reintegration, and deradicalization of children and young people. The authors find that entrenched gender biases and stereotypes influence investigative methods, including profiling, and that terrorism-related offences are typically formulated in gender-neutral terms that overlook the different impacts these laws may have on boys and girls.
Recommendations include enhanced oversight and regulation of special investigative and interview techniques; adopting gender-sensitive approaches across justice processes; implementing gender-sensitive witness protection protocols; increasing the representation of women staff in detention facilities; strengthening safeguards against gendered harms in custodial and non-custodial settings; addressing additional risks faced by girls in detention; and ensuring full implementation of CEDAW to eliminate barriers to girls’ access to justice, including those related to stereotyping, stigmatization, and the lack of women counsel.