Training on Gender Dimensions of Preventing Violent Extremism

Violent extremism affects women, men, girls, and boys in different ways. While much of the traditional discourse on violent extremism has focused on male recruitment and participation, growing evidence demonstrates that gender plays a critical role in shaping pathways to radicalization, recruitment, prevention, resilience, disengagement, and community recovery. Understanding these gender dynamics is essential for designing effective and sustainable Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) strategies.

Women and girls may experience violent extremism as victims, survivors, community leaders, peacebuilders, educators, advocates, or, in some cases, active participants in extremist organizations. Men and boys may face unique vulnerabilities related to social expectations, identity formation, economic exclusion, perceptions of masculinity, political grievances, and recruitment pressures. Gender norms, inequalities, discrimination, and social exclusion can influence both vulnerability to extremist narratives and the effectiveness of prevention interventions.

International frameworks such as the Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism and the Women, Peace and Security agenda emphasize the importance of integrating gender perspectives into prevention efforts. Gender-responsive PVE approaches seek to understand how gender influences risks, protective factors, participation, resilience, and community responses while ensuring that prevention programs are inclusive, rights-based, and context-sensitive.

Effective PVE initiatives recognize the contributions of women as agents of prevention and peacebuilding, address the needs of affected communities, engage men and boys constructively, and challenge harmful gender norms that may contribute to exclusion, violence, or recruitment vulnerabilities. Gender-sensitive programming also improves policy effectiveness, strengthens community trust, and promotes more sustainable peace and security outcomes.

This course provides comprehensive training on the gender dimensions of Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE). Participants learn how gender influences violent extremism dynamics, how to conduct gender-sensitive analyses, and how to design, implement, monitor, and evaluate gender-responsive prevention initiatives.

Through case studies, gender analysis exercises, stakeholder engagement workshops, policy reviews, community resilience simulations, and program design activities, participants develop practical skills for integrating gender considerations into PVE strategies and interventions.

Duration

5 Days

Who Should Attend

• PVE and CVE practitioners
• Government officials and policymakers
• Gender specialists and advisors
• Peacebuilding and conflict prevention professionals
• Community development practitioners
• Civil society and NGO personnel
• Security sector professionals
• Human rights practitioners
• Development agency staff
• Researchers and academics
• Program and project managers
• Community and religious leaders

Individual Impact

• Strengthen expertise in gender-responsive prevention programming
• Improve gender analysis and policy development capabilities
• Enhance stakeholder engagement and facilitation skills
• Develop stronger conflict-sensitive planning competencies
• Improve understanding of inclusive peacebuilding approaches
• Strengthen professional effectiveness in security, development, and governance roles

Organizational Impact

• Improve effectiveness of PVE policies and programs
• Strengthen inclusion and participation across prevention initiatives
• Enhance community trust and engagement
• Promote gender equality and social cohesion
• Support evidence-based and rights-based prevention strategies
• Contribute to sustainable peace and resilience outcomes

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the gender dimensions of violent extremism and prevention
• Analyze how gender norms influence vulnerability and resilience
• Conduct gender-sensitive PVE assessments and analyses
• Design gender-responsive prevention programs and policies
• Promote meaningful participation of women and youth in prevention efforts
• Engage men and boys in positive prevention initiatives
• Address gender-based inequalities and exclusion factors
• Integrate human rights and inclusion principles into PVE programming
• Monitor and evaluate gender-responsive interventions
• Strengthen community resilience and social cohesion through inclusive approaches

Module 1: Introduction to Gender and Preventing Violent Extremism

• Foundations of PVE and gender analysis
• Understanding gender concepts and frameworks
• Gendered pathways to radicalization and recruitment
• Global and regional policy frameworks
• Human rights and inclusion considerations
• Exercise: Gender and PVE assessment workshop
• Case Study: Gender-responsive prevention initiatives

Module 2: Gender Norms, Vulnerabilities, and Resilience

• Social norms and identity formation
• Masculinities, femininities, and recruitment dynamics
• Gender-based exclusion and marginalization
• Protective factors and resilience-building approaches
• Community and family influences
• Exercise: Vulnerability and resilience mapping
• Case Study: Community resilience programs

Module 3: Women’s Roles in Prevention and Peacebuilding

• Women as peacebuilders and prevention actors
• Community leadership and early warning mechanisms
• Women's participation in policy and program development
• Supporting women-led prevention initiatives
• Addressing barriers to participation
• Exercise: Stakeholder engagement planning
• Case Study: Women-led resilience-building programs

Module 4: Designing Gender-Responsive PVE Programs

• Gender-sensitive program design principles
• Integrating gender into risk assessments
• Inclusive communication and engagement strategies
• Monitoring gender-related outcomes
• Ethical and conflict-sensitive programming approaches
• Exercise: Gender-responsive program design workshop
• Case Study: Inclusive prevention programming

Module 5: Monitoring, Evaluation, and Institutionalization

• Gender-responsive monitoring and evaluation frameworks
• Indicators for inclusion, participation, and resilience
• Institutionalizing gender perspectives in PVE policies
• Multi-stakeholder collaboration and partnerships
• Emerging trends in gender-responsive prevention
• Capstone Exercise: Develop a gender-responsive PVE action plan
• Case Study: Long-term integration of gender into prevention strategies