Tackling violent extremism (VE) as a part of education interventions is reflective of a broader international shift toward prevention of terrorism, and toward efforts to address the environment conducive for extremists to spread their ideologies and recruit supporters.
Education has been leveraged to both radicalize and to de-radicalize young people and increasingly, governments in conflict-affected countries are interested in financing measures that counter violent extremism as part of education programs. Yet the term “violent extremism” lacks a specific definition making it difficult to carry out research, policy dialogue and/or programming. Furthermore, there is little empirical evidence to demonstrate the efficacy of CVE programs that work consistently and across different contexts, primarily because the root causes of violent extremism are poorly understood.
