This report assesses the extent to which gender perspectives are integrated into current counter-terrorism (CT) and preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) practices, including risk assessment, disengagement, deradicalisation, rehabilitation, and reintegration processes. Based on an extensive review of academic and grey literature published between 2014 and 2024, complemented by expert interviews, the report finds that most CT and P/CVE practices remain largely gender-blind and continue to reproduce gender norms and stereotypes.
The analysis highlights how gender is frequently equated with women, resulting in essentialist assumptions that overlook the complexity of women’s and men’s roles in violent extremism, as well as the experiences of LGBTIQ+ communities. It further demonstrates how gender biases embedded in analytical frameworks and risk assessment tools can shape subsequent interventions, potentially reinforcing ineffective or unequal practices.
The report concludes that gender constructs and norms significantly affect the effectiveness of CT and P/CVE efforts and offers tailored recommendations for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to improve the systematic and nuanced integration of gender perspectives across all stages of intervention.