Strengthening the role of women in counter-terrorism

Casablanca hosted the closing of the cycle of activities to consolidate the role of women in the fight against terrorism. The activity, organised by the CT-Just project in the framework of its strategy for the professionalisation of women in the field of security, brought together 10 of the 14 countries that have collaborated throughout the activities of this cycle: Benin, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Nigeria.

The event highlighted the importance of strengthening the full and effective participation of women in counter-terrorism policies and operations. And, the meeting marked a decisive step towards the institutionalisation of gender-sensitive counter-terrorism policies and the professionalisation of women, especially those in the security forces.

Under the title ‘The role of women in security agencies in the fight against terrorism’, the main objective of this fourth and final edition was the creation and validation of a working document based on their personal and day-to-day experiences as police professionals, which includes strategic recommendations for the training and professionalisation of women in the field of police investigation and, specifically, in the fight against terrorism.

For three days, more than 20 active professionals and members of the security and justice forces specialised in the fight against terrorism shared experiences and challenges related to the investigation of female combatants and the evolution of their profile and modus operandi of the new female combatants, recognising the need for new mechanisms to reinforce radicalisation in social networks and inter-institutional coordination and shared intelligence mechanisms.

The sessions have been structured in presentations, thematic roundtables and working groups, and have also allowed to address the mainstreaming of human rights in security practices, especially in the judicial treatment of cases related to terrorism and especially women and minors returning from conflict zones, from a gender and police professionalisation perspective.

The working groups have been led and moderated with the technical support of academics, experts and police commanders specialised in the fight against terrorism from the Member States, specifically from Spain, France and Italy.

The event was opened by Commissioner General Tayoubi Mustapha, from the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior National Office for the Fight against Terrorism, who thanked for the invitation and underlined the importance of the topic addressed in this activity. She also highlighted the essential role of women in Moroccan society, from childcare to their active contribution to civil society, underlining their special ability to resolve conflicts and mediate in reconciliation processes.

Afterwards, Antonio Casado, Advisor for Counter-Terrorism Security and representing the Delegation of the European Union, expressly thanked the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their close collaboration in the organisation of this activity. He underlined the honour and privilege for the Delegation of the European Union to participate in initiatives of this nature, stressing that the fight against terrorism is an absolute priority for the European Union.

The director of the project, Judge José María Fernandez Villalobos, highlighted the importance of fully integrating women in security organisations, especially those dedicated to the fight against terrorism, and pointed out that the cycle has brought together more than 80 professionals from 14 countries in Africa and the Arab world, and more than 10 female experts in security matters from Member States, thus consolidating international cooperation.

The event culminated on its third day with the validation of the regional working document, which was debated and formally adopted in the plenary session of the activity, and which is intended to be integrated into the national and regional security frameworks of the 14 participating countries, a document that will be validated by all the participants of the cycle to obtain its final form as a document of good practice guide that contemplates the day-to-day and challenging performance of professionals in the fight against terrorism.

This working document has managed to synthesise the best practices, operational recommendations and frameworks to promote female leadership in police forces in the fight against terrorism, being the result of the various activities that have been carried out during the implementation of the European project CT-Just.

With this fourth activity, the CT-Just project manager has reaffirmed his commitment to the professionalisation, visibility and leadership of women in the fight against terrorism, paving the way for a more effective, inclusive and resilient cooperation against the threats of jihadist terrorism, its fighters, as well as violent extremism throughout the African continent, Africa and the MENA region.