This report features research commissioned by UN Women and conducted by the Monash Gender, Peace, and Security Centre of Monash University in partnership with the National Counter-Terrorism Agency of Indonesia and the Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection of Indonesia.
This report identifies the persistent trends and changing gender dynamics of violent extremism in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It examines how and to what extent misogyny and hostile beliefs are fueling violent extremism in the Southeast Asian region, and how these manifest themselves in the offline space. Based on an expert survey and interview, the report suggests that violent extremist groups in ASEAN countries use social media to promote misogynist and hostile views towards women; they made appeals to charismatic masculinity to attract recruits and legitimize violence, that some women within violent extremist groups were ‘pushing back’ against misogynist positions. The report recommends intersectional and gender sensitive approaches to PCVE, and suggests that women’s meaningful engagement within PCVE drafting, design, implementation and evaluation is required.
*This report is also available in Bahasa Indonesia via the link.