About the Series

This two-part webinar series will examine emerging research and tools on radicalisation and de-radicalisation in the UK context. The first webinar in the series focuses on the findings from a recent dataset and research on growing cases of Islamist and far-right radicalisation among teenagers and children in the UK. The second webinar looks at developments in tools employed in extremism risk assessment in the UK, examining their validity and reliability for accurate assessments.

Abstract

For the first time, 2022 saw referrals to the UK Government’s counter-radicalisation programme, Prevent, dominated by boys under the age of 15. Literature on minors’ involvement in terrorist groups has long prioritised analysis of child soldiers, shedding light on the circumstances of their recruitment and operational advantages. However, recent years have seen a sharp rise in cases of “homegrown” teenage attack-plotters, self-initiated travelers to terrorist-held territory, and bedroom propagandists. Through a unique dataset of minors convicted of terrorism offences in the United Kingdom between 2016 and 2022, Hannah Rose and Gina Vale’s upcoming research seeks to map trends in minors’ ideological affiliations; offences, pleas, and sentences; and social circumstances and networks. The consequences of minors’ involvement in terrorism raises important questions regarding the risk posed by young people, coupled with issues of agency, accountability, and rehabilitation. In an era of rising extremist youth activism, greater understanding and better response planning should be a priority for counter-terrorism scholars and practitioners.

Speakers

Ms Hannah Rose is a Research Fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) in King’s College London, where she is pursuing her PhD in the Department of War Studies. She is additionally an Associate Fellow at the Institute for Freedom of Faith and Security in Europe (IFFSE). Her research covers far-right extremism and terrorism in Western Europe and North America, with a focus on youth radicalisation and antisemitism. Hannah has published research with ICSR, IFFSE, the Global Network on Extremism and Technology, the Community Security Trust, and a number of other outlets.

Dr Gina Vale is a Lecturer of Criminology at the Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology at the University of Southampton. She is also an Associate Fellow of the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) in The Hague and a Member of the Vox-Pol Network. Gina’s research takes a feminist, intersectional approach to studying terrorism and extremist violence. She primarily focuses on terrorist governance, genocide, extremist propaganda, and the organisational roles and experiences of women and children.