In a letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, more than 50 organizations, including the Charity & Security Network, raise serious concerns about the UN’s plans for preventing violent extremism (PVE), including a resolution and an upcoming panel on “human rights and preventing and countering violent extremism” at the 31st Session of the UN Human Rights Council.
While acknowledging that properly designed PVE initiatives can play a “potentially positive role,” the signatories express concern that HRC resolution 30/15 on ‘Human Rights and Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism,’ as adopted by vote after substantial oral revisions, fails to properly capture the danger for abuse of PVE initiatives, and that it provides inadequate language aimed to protect human rights.” The letter also encourages the Commissioner to “address these deficiencies.”
The letter notes that “violent extremism” and similar terminology, such as “radicalisation,” are “poorly defined concepts which open the door to human rights and other abuses.” The letter explains that several governments already label political opponents, journalists and human rights defenders with these labels, or as “terrorists.” Calling out “violent extremism” as the problem “only provides these governments more grounds to stifle freedom of expression and crush dissent,” the letter states.
Additionally, many CVE and PVE programs alienate the people they’re intended to help, the letter states. “Such initiatives are often perceived as stigmatising, discriminatory and as a form of ‘soft surveillance’ by members of the communities they target.”
Read the full letter here.