www . AmericanSecurityToday . com September 2022 - Edition 63
Measures need to be tak- en to deal with the growing trend of women engaged in violence . We should consid- er taking a closer look at the psychology of women who fight .
Offering programs for middle school girls recognizing that girls and boys do not mature at the same age or absorb materials the same way . Use of gaming platforms more popular with female players and thus useful in dissuading them from radicalization .
Trying to prevent young wom- en and girls from being recruited means increasing counterter- rorism officials ' knowledge about the psychology of be- longing . It means having spe- cific programs toward poten- tial women terrorists .
Unfortunately , policymakers are not adapting fast enough . Sadly , they still mostly see radical women as a curiosity and lumping all programs to counter violent extremism together rather than having science-driven solutions that are sensitive to gender .
About the Authors
Dean C . Alexander and David A . Young are professor and assis- tant professor , respectively , at the School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration ( LEJA ), at Western Illinois Uni- versity
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