The PREPARE project, funded by the European Union, aims to study the effects of violent radicalization on children and young people who grow up in the environment of violent extremism. At the seminar that took place in The Hague last Wednesday, May 11, people with a professional career related to psychotherapy and work with young people were invited, as well as people who are experts in violent radicalization, including the researcher from the Euro-Arab Foundation , Josep García Coll, expert on radicalization and violent extremism.
During the meeting, experiences and data on the specific risks for children who grow up in this type of environment and the most effective reintegration strategies were contrasted. He highlighted the discussion on the way in which values and ideologies are transmitted from mothers and fathers to children. Sometimes this takes place explicitly, but the fact is that, even in the absence of these, values and ideologies can be transmitted from an idealization of the absent parent as a hero or a fighter against the state, especially if the mother or the father is in prison.
As examples of good practices, among others, the effectiveness of interventions in which the family environment is trained to work with the minor in question was highlighted. The use of mentorships between the minor and older people who can offer positive social models far from the armed militancy of the father or mother, while offering new possibilities for personal development, was also recommended.
