OSCE and Spanish National Police address the role of gender in preventing violent extremism

On 14 December, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department’s Action against Terrorism Unit (TNTD/ATU) and the Spanish National Police concluded a two-day training on “Understanding the Role of Gender in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism” (P/CVERLT) in Madrid, Spain.

“It is necessary to integrate gender and its role in today's society in the analysis and police actions against violent extremism. This training, a joint effort of the International Cooperation Division of the Spanish National Police and the OSCE, constitutes a further step in this task”, the Deputy Head of the International Cooperation Division of the Spanish National Police, Police Commissioner Mrs. Yolanda Rodríguez, stated in her opening remarks.

The training brought together 12 participants from Spanish law enforcement agencies to reflect and exchange on how gender relates to and intersects with violent extremism. It aimed at enhancing the participants’ expertise , in integrating a strong gender perspective in their P/CVERLT efforts. The event also demonstrated how a gender-responsive approach leads to better outcomes and improved operational effectiveness of P/CVERLT responses and protects human rights.

“The police must actively strive towards gender equity across ranks in order to achieve an inclusive and efficient approach to preventing and countering violent extremism”, one of the law enforcement officers concluded.

his was the third training workshop organized by TNTD/ATU, based on the OSCE Guidebook “Understanding the Role of Gender in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization That Lead to Terrorism - Good Practices for Law Enforcement”. The previous trainings were held for Jordanian participants in Malta in October and for North-Macedonian participants in Skopje earlier in December.