A/HRC/33/28
rather the parties involved had to seek a solution themselves. Furthermore, those involved
in extreme violence knew why they had been marginalized.
20.
Mr. Garatea stressed that poverty was, to a large extent, a breeding ground for
human rights violations. Therefore, every member of society, at all levels, had to become
involved in efforts to eradicate poverty and everyone, including those from the poorest
strata of society, had to be given opportunities to be heard. By way of example, Mr. Garatea
referred to the forums and inclusive consultations that had been held in Peru since 2000,
including at the national, provincial, district and neighbourhood levels. In all those
consultations, poverty was the defining characteristic and common issue.
21.
Mr. Garatea discussed the steps that had been taken subsequently. Affected
communities in Peru had engaged in a series of more than 1,400 public consultations so that
they could find solutions. Those decentralized engagements had continued in Peru and were
still under way after 16 years.
22.
The moderator then referred to resolution 30/15, in which the Human Rights
Council stressed the need to address conditions conducive to violent extremism by
engaging with all groups of civil society concerned and, in particular, by empowering
women and youth. The Council also reaffirmed the important role that education, including
human rights education and training, could play in preventing and countering violent
extremism. The moderator asked Ms. Farooq to share her views and experience of the role
that local civil society organizations could play.
23.
Ms. Farooq first identified risk factors, to facilitate the detection of vulnerable
individuals, including sociological conditions (such as social alienation and acculturation
difficulties), psychological factors (such as post-traumatic stress and mental illnesses),
economic factors (such as unemployment and related deprivation), political grievances
(such as the perception that Governments are promulgating discriminatory policies against
certain communities) and ideological factors (such as intolerance and the justification of
violence to address grievances). These risk factors also indicated that religious ideology
alone did not lead to the radicalization of individuals.
24.
Ms. Farooq said that her organization, the World Organization for Resource
Development and Education, brought together public and private stakeholders to promote
safety and social cohesion. Its work was based on the premise that a public that understands
the threat of violent extremism and the risk factors of radicalization is better equipped to
identify vulnerable individuals and can refer them for an intervention before they engage in
violence. The organization has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders forming part of
an early warning network and has trained hundreds of local law enforcement officers,
educators and faith community members. Special programmes for youth stressed the
importance of recognizing when an individual may express support for an extremist
organization through social media. By placing communities at the forefront and involving
multiple faith communities, programmes to prevent and counter violent extremism could
give them ownership of the agenda and also reduce the stigma experienced by a single faith
community.
25.
In conclusion, Ms. Farooq emphasized the critical role of civil society, including
non-governmental organizations, faith-based organizations, religious scholars, educators
and social service providers. In her opinion, civil society was best suited to understanding
the challenges of communities and could more rapidly mobilize resources to respond to
their needs. Civil society entities had to be given the resources to develop their own
prevention efforts. In addition, more States had to be encouraged to develop initiatives to
counter violent extremism in collaboration with civil society, for example by promoting
engagement with religious and tribal leaders and women’s associations. Finally, community
policing had to be improved worldwide so that trust could be fostered between government
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