I am pleased to have engaged in this Q&A session with CT Insight. Our discussion covered crucial subjects, ranging from the alarming increase in #radicalization among children to the recent evaluation of the UK #Prevent program, and the social, economic, political and security challenges in the #Sahel region. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cecilia-polizzi-2a9663143_the-radicalisation-and-recruitment-game-activity-7107793736901812225-9PEw?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

1. 13.09.23, 19:01
The Radicalisation and Recruitment game: How Terrorist and Violent Extremist Groups Target Children - ctinsight.net
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https://ctinsight.net/how-terrorist-and-violent-extremist-groups-radicalise-children/
CT Insight interviews Cecilia Polizzi, Founder & CEO of
CRTG Working Group, Human Rights Lawyer and
Subject Matter Expert in the recruitment and
radicalisation of children by terrorist and violent
extremist groups.
Our conversation starts with the increasing reality of online radicalisation of
children, the recent review of Prevent, and then on to the global issue of
exploitation of children by terrorist and violent extremist groups.
CT Insight (CTI): In a recent interview with BBC Radio 4, Matt Jukes, the head of
UK Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP), said increasing numbers of teenagers were
turning their online extremism into active terror plots that could translate into
violence on Britain’s streets. Figures released by CTP showed that under-18s now
accounted for one in five arrests by counter-terror police, a five-fold increase
since 2019.
What do you think has caused such a dramatic increase, not only in the number of
The Radicalisation and Recruitment game:
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juvenile arrests, but also the number of referrals to the Prevent programme?
Cecilia Polizzi (CP): The surge in arrests and terrorism-related charges is
reflective of the escalating rate of child recruitment and use, radicalisation,
mobilisation, or otherwise exploitation by terrorist and violent extremist groups.
Although the involvement of children with terrorism and violent extremism
appears most apparent in the context of jihadist insurgent movements, this is a
key manifestation across the ideological spectrum, including Islamist and right-
wing extremist groups alike. Children and young people present enhanced
vulnerabilities compared to adults and become targets of violent parties in view
of the same. In addition, technological innovation provided terrorist and violent
extremist organisations heightened opportunities to operate in anonymity and in
a truly transnational way across the Internet, social media, gaming platforms, and
the dark web, among others, magnifying their reach in unprecedented ways.
Children and youth also constitute a significant demographic within the user base
of the Internet and social media platforms. In fact, recent statistics reveal that an
estimated 71% of the global population in this age cohort may face regular
exposure to propaganda campaigns, radicalisation and/or recruitment risks.
A sole examination of referral data, however, fails to yield accurate insights into
youth radicalisation issues within the UK or other countries adopting the same
mechanism. This limitation arises from the fact that referrals and instances of
radicalisation to violent extremism do not maintain a 1:1 ratio. Behaviours that
may be symptomatic of radicalisation or structural and individual factors
commonly understood as precursors to radicalisation may also manifest in
individuals who do not present an ideological attachment, disposition, or
readiness to undertake violent action. In addition, there may exist a lack of
consensus across different communities on what constitutes ‘extremist’ or
‘radical’ ideas or behaviour, resulting in a lack of coherence in reporting.
CTI: The Independent Reviewer of Prevent, William Shawcross, repeatedly
referred to Islamist Extremism as being the main threat to society, as “…the facts
clearly demonstrate that the most lethal threat (sic: to the UK) in the last 20 years
has come from Islamism, and this threat continues”.
Do you think that this is an accurate reflection of the current situation in the UK,
given that the number of referrals to the Prevent programme related to concerns
about extreme right-wing radicalisation accounts for 20 per cent of all referrals –
ahead of referrals for Islamist Extremism, for the second year running.
Or is this an issue with the lack of an agreed understanding of what “Extreme
Right Wing” radicalisation actually is?
CP: Since the growth of terrorist movements and organisations in the Middle East
during the 1980s and 1990s, followed by the 9/11 attack and the Global War on
Terror (GWOT), the term terrorism has become synonymous with Islamic
radicalism. At the same time, other forms of violent extremism have been
relatively neglected. In recent years, right-wing extremists have carried out
multiple large-scale terrorist attacks in various locations, including Christchurch,
El Paso, Halle, Hanau, Charlottesville, Buffalo, and the United States Capitol,
among others. In the United States, right-wing extremists have been responsible
Counter
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Project.
Afghanistan
Terrorism
Report: July
2023
Martyn's Law:
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Bridge’ between
security and
citizen.
Home Office
publishes
renewed
guidance for
Prevent Duty
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for more fatalities in violent attacks than any other type of extremism. Across
Europe, there has been a resurgence of militant right-wing extremist groups,
networks, and incidents, marked by a surge in anti-immigration and Islamophobic
violence, as well as anti-government attacks and assaults on political opponents,
ethnic minorities, and the LGBTQ community.
While jihadi extremism has represented a major threat to national security in the
UK for the past 20 years and continues to remain prominent, this does not imply
that other forms of violent extremism are any less concerning or that threats are
not diversifying and evolving. In 2019, the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC)
expanded its threat level assessment to include right-wing extremism, and the
threat to the UK has reported a gradual upward trajectory with several high-
profile incidents and convictions. Right-wing extremism is recognised under
Prevent, including forms below the terrorism threshold. However, along with
other reported data, an increase in referrals for cases of right-wing extremism
must also be accounted for. The pervasive focus on violent jihadism has, in some
instances over the past twenty years, obscured terror plots initiated or carried
out by right-wing extremists, diverted P/CVE program funding to address jihadi
extremism almost exclusively, and overall led to an underestimation of right-wing
extremist threats. Tendencies to conflate terrorism and violent extremism with
jihadism alone may prove detrimental to security and shall be recognised to
adequately understand and address all forms and manifestations of terrorism and
violent extremism.
CTI: The global issue of exploitation of children by terrorist and extremist groups
seems to be a poorly understood crisis, which is affecting vulnerable children
from all continents, and all walks of life. Your organisation, The CRTG Working
Group, is dedicated to addressing the involvement of children with terrorism and
violent extremism, globally, and seeks to improve understanding and promote
prevention and mitigation efforts.
Are there differences in the methods that terrorist and violent extremist groups
use to go about recruiting, and radicalising children, geographically? Say, for
example, between the methods used in Europe, and those used in the Middle East
– in countries such as Syria, Iran and Lebanon?
Are there defining features that you can highlight between the continents of
Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and the USA, in terms of juvenile
radicalisation?
CP: Terrorism and violent extremism emerge, among others, in relation to
broader exogenous factors, including armed conflict and political and social
dynamics that are peculiar to a particular country-level or regional setting. In
addition, insurgent violent groups exploit existing conditions, frailties, and
vacuums to establish safe havens, operate, and advance their agenda, and these,
coupled with the fact that terrorism evolves with the countermeasures applied
against it, lead to various degrees of diversification regarding their modus
operandi. As a result, while it may appear reasonable that there is heterogeneity
in the temperaments and behaviours punctuating the recruitment and use of
children, no standard operating procedure or overarching modality is found. This

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Image: Pierre Holtz UNICEF CAR
is observable not only through an analysis of groups within the neo-jihadist
movement per se but also between jihadist and right-wing extremist actors. For
instance, ISIL originally emerged from the remnants of al-Qaeda in Iraq and as a
local offshoot of the group, pledging allegiance and officialising, at least at its
inception, its intent to promote a mirroring ideology and strategy. However,
notable differences between these groups traditionally existed and extended
beyond the phenomenology of child recruitment and use. This is particularly
evident regarding gender roles, gender considerations, and child portrayal in the
respective (IS/AQ) propaganda campaigns. Profound and numerous degrees of
diversification apply, therefore, within and across groups. It is important to
observe the context, socio-economic and political conditions, armed conflict
dynamics (if any), the doctrine, and countermeasures, among other factors.
A multitude of overlapping structural and individual factors, including but not
limited to a lack of socio-economic opportunities, marginalisation and
discrimination, poor governance, violations of human rights, individual
motivations, and political ideologies, constitute pathways to radicalisation.
However, radicalisation, including youth radicalisation, is a personal, non-linear
process that must also be contextualized. In armed conflict and near-armed
conflict scenarios or fragile states, a child oftentimes becomes radicalised due to
violent and forcible recruitment and indoctrination processes. In instances in
which the child may voluntarily decide to join a violent terrorist insurgent group,
this is in most cases to satisfy primary needs or the result of deceptive strategies
rather than due to an ideological attachment. Non-armed conflict settings, and
particularly instances of self-radicalisation, lone-wolf terrorism, present a
different outlook.
CTI: With the rapidly expanding
number of armed, violent conflicts in
Africa – specifically the Sahel region –
what are your overriding concerns for
the vulnerable, displaced children, both
in the short and long terms?
Is there a realistic threat that the likes
of ISIS, ISWAP and Al-Shabab will use
these conflicts to further exploit, and
radicalise children in the region?
CP: The Sahel region faces many
converging and complex social,
economic, political and security
challenges. These have further
deteriorated due to recent events and
are likely to persist. Jihadist
implantation in the Sahel can be traced
back to the end of the Algerian civil war,
which pitted security forces against

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The Radicalisation and Recruitment game: How Terrorist and Violent Extremist Groups Target Children - ctinsight.net
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Islamist armed groups. For years, al-
Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb used the Sahel as a rear base to gather wealth,
arms and local recruits and this led jihadist actors to develop on a more Sahelian
basis. Subsequently, other insurgent groups emerged, deepening, and expanding
the threat landscape. For years, several Sahelian governments as well as foreign
military forces sought to prevent and address rising levels of terrorism. However,
jihadists in the region have proven to be adaptable, and international and regional
responses failed to provide security. This in turn has hampered the efficacy of
interventions, the credibility of intervening parties, and emboldened terrorist
groups, making the Sahel increasingly violent. The region also presents some of
the highest population growth, significant increases in food insecurity, and
widespread displacement. Children and young people are confronted with a
complex, changing, and dangerous environment, which affects not only the way
they define threats and challenges but also their exposure to violent extremism.
The weakened capacity of central authorities to deliver essential public services
and security in vast areas has historically created vacuums and new opportunities
for criminal, predatory, and violent actors. The existing risks for children and
young people with respect to both child protection and security are likely to
worsen in the current scenario.
CTI: What more can international governments, aid agencies and NGOs do to
improve understanding of this crisis, and to mitigate against further escalation of
it?
CP: It depends on the specific country within the Sahel region under observation.
Nevertheless, these scenarios are rapidly evolving, characterised by high levels of
instability and insecurity across various dimensions, including political, social, and
economic. In some instances, the capacity to operate, and provide assistance is at
its minimum.
Cecilia Polizzi is a human rights lawyer, C-suite executive,
SME, and scholar with more than fourteen
years of experience in human rights, criminal and juvenile
justice, and other spheres of law, including
specific issues connected to matters of international
security, counterterrorism, and P/CVE. Polizzi is
an international expert in the modus operandi of violent
extremist organizations, with a high degree of
specialization in Salafi-jihadist actors, and widely
recognized as the foremost industry leader on the
recruitment, use, and radicalization of children by terrorist organizations. For over a
decade, she has
been at the forefront of international efforts to reshape paradigms and understanding
regarding the
involvement of children in terrorism.
You can contact Cecilia at: polizzi@crtgroup.org
← Home Office publishes renewed guidance for Prevent Duty

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