To understand the impact of and subsequent reactions to exposure to extreme violence in young adults in South Africa exposed during school years. In particular, to get an in-depth understanding of its immediate consequences and factors that ameliorate or exacerbate it. An exploratory qualitative research design was used, using purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews with 21 young South African adults aged 19-31 were conducted online. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Violence exposure was found to result in trauma reactions with themes of a continued sense of being unsafe, feeling damaged and defective because of having these reactions, and mistrust towards others. In terms of coping reactions, a theme of avoidance and/or reacting with aggressive behaviour was identified, which likely exacerbated the challenges they experienced. By contrast, a more positive theme was identified in some, focused on having a sense of community and connectedness, which was experienced as ameliorating these challenges. Exposure to community and school violence in childhood has a lasting impact on mental health and adjustment in later life. The impact is likely worsened by mistrust of others, a continued sense of feeling unsafe and counterproductive coping mechanisms, while connectedness and community seem to lessen the impact. Further research can refine these findings to build an understanding of these mechanisms to inform secondary prevention and treatment interventions in low- and middle-income countries.

This Systematic Literature Review (SLR) aims to synthesize empirical studies to determine prominent risk factors associated with radicalization and violent extremism (RVE), as well as moderating or mediating factors that trigger the radicalization pathways. Following the prior set eligibility criteria, the PRISMA guideline was used to identify, screen, and select the empirical studies. In this SLR, we have identified some prominent risk factors of RVE and categorized them into micro, meso, and macro level factors. At the micro level, age, gender, education, SES, psychopathological issues, personality and psychological traits, proviolence and hostile attitude, political-ideological beliefs, intolerance, conspiracy mentality, and moral disengagement, while at the meso level, family dysfunction, a post-conflict society, social isolation, harsh school environment, perceived intergroup threats, psychological needs, and low social support are considered to be key risk factors. At the macro level, collective strain, political conflict, strong religious and ethnic identity, and group-based relative deprivation significantly influence radicalization processes. The findings of the current SLR pointed toward multiple risk factors for the radicalization process. These findings can be imperative in developing counter-radicalization interventions and planning preventive strategies.

ABSTRACT The climate crisis intensifies existing security risks and vulnerabilities that can contribute to violent radicalisation and extremism in Kenya’s peripheral regions. Depletion of already-strained resources due to the climate crisis, including freshwater, arable land, and forests, has intensified existing governance deficits and local conflicts rooted in clan and ethnic rivalries. These pressures heighten intercommunal tensions and create conditions that violent extremist networks exploit for recruitment and mobilisation by amplifying grievance-based narratives. Drawing on findings from a preliminary review conducted in six peripheral counties in Kenya, this article examines the indirect linkages between climate stress and violent extremist recruitment. The review identifies five interconnected factors through which climate risks shape vulnerability: declining livelihoods, exploitation of community grievances, climate-induced migration, escalating resource conflicts, and the pursuit of legitimacy by violent extremist networks. Further, the findings highlight that development and peacebuilding initiatives in these climate-induced marginalised areas can strengthen community resilience to disasters and reduce susceptibility to violent extremism. The findings contribute to the broader fields of peacebuilding and development in areas where the climate crisis creates milieus for violent extremist networks to thrive.

ABSTRACT Involvement of corporations in international crimes and conflict atrocities, such as crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide, are neither isolated events nor uncommon. Importantly, corporate involvement in atrocity crimes is shaped by conditions in “zones of legal risk” (International Commission of Jurists), where gross human rights violations, atrocity crimes and extreme violence are pervasive. In this context, corporations become complicit in the most serious state crimes. The empirical study of 205 historical and contemporary cases across all global regions in a total of 36 countries explores patterns of involvement starting from the conceptual framework developed by the International Commission of Jurists. We identify six “risk profiles” of involvement defined by industry type, partners in such crimes, and the type of involvement and contribution to the crimes. Our results showcase the relationship between corporate characteristics and risks of involvement in serious violence for different risk profiles across space and time. Starting from a legal conceptual framework, we discuss how these results contribute to criminological theories of corporate crime, as well as to regulation theory and practice.

The ultimate goal of the secession movements is to gain recognition in accordance with international law, thereby strengthening its legitimacy on the international stage. The intensity of the conflict influences the likelihood of the movement being addressed within the framework of Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) discourses, thereby shaping its international legitimacy. This article examines how the international legitimacy of secession movements is shaped by conflict profiles, religious significance and the CVE framework. Moving beyond the tendency to treat long-standing separatist conflicts as inherently religious, religion can enter separatist conflicts in various ways, such as being an indicator of collective differentiation, a language of mobilization, a source of symbolic legitimacy or an external framework of interpretation. In this study, international legitimacy is conceptualized as existing beyond formal recognition and is assessed using four indicators: discursive, diplomatic, institutional and support-based legitimacy. Five African case studies (Western Sahara, Cabinda, Biafra, Azawad and Ogaden) are detailed within the context of these indicators, having been selected for sharing similar values regarding conflict based on variables derived from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP). Ultimately, in the cases of Western Sahara and Azawad, associating religion with extremism undermines the legitimacy of separatist claims and restricts access to international policy and military support.

ABSTRACT Nigeria has faced persistent security threats from terrorist groups, particularly Boko Haram and factions from the Islamic State's West Africa Province, as well as other groups that manifest in banditry, kidnapping, among others. In an effort to counter these threats, the Nigerian government developed a range of counter-terrorism measures encompassing military operations, legal instruments, institutional frameworks, regional cooperation arrangements, and civilian-driven efforts aimed at addressing the root cause of the insecurity. This article evaluates Nigeria’s counter-terrorism framework by analysing its progress, identifying key pitfalls, and exploring future prospects. Grounded in the theory of securitization and institutionalism, the paper adopted a qualitative methodology, using document analysis and expert interviews. The findings revealed a partial success, including improved regional cooperation and institutional establishment, but highlighted significant challenges such as fragmented institutional support, military-heavy approach and civilian harm, trust deficit at community levels, youth vulnerability, human rights questions, and delayed justices resulting from weak judicial processes. The article concludes with recommendations to enhance Nigeria’s CT framework through institutional reforms, removal of barriers to effective inter-agency cooperation, community-based counterterrorism and violent extremism, reform of the justice system, and integrated development strategies.

Shattered Safety? Developmental Trajectories for Conspiracy Mentality and Violent Extremist Attitudes.

ABSTRACT Studies on the role of military service as a risk factor for violent extremism (VE) have focused almost exclusively on right-wing extremism (RWE) in the US context. However, it is possible that there is a more generalizable issue. Since 2020, there have been 78 documented cases of Palestinian Authority Security Forces (PASF) engaging in terrorist attacks against Israel. By combining data from official sources, we estimate the risk of VE offending as a function of PASF service, and find it to be a significant risk factor for offending. We discuss both local and general implications of the findings.

ABSTRACT Existing criminological theories predate algorithmically amplified digital platforms and have not been extended to the persistent, non-reciprocal relationships that those platforms now enable at scale. This paper introduces Parasocial Learning Theory (PLT), a novel social-cognitive framework that addresses this gap by extending Akers’ Social Learning Theory (SLT) and Glaser's Differential Identification into the domain of non-reciprocal, algorithmically mediated relationships, a context neither framework was designed to address. PLT posits that individuals acquire pro-criminal attitudes and justifications through parasocial relationships (PSRs) with media figures. Within a PSR, the illusion of reciprocity weakens cognitive defenses, facilitating parasocial identification; the mechanism by which the individual's self-concept and the emblem's grievances and behavioral scripts collapse into one another. The framework incorporates mediators such as moral disengagement and moderators such as social isolation, and introduces the concept of ‘parasocial emblems,’ media figures who serve as symbolic representations of crime, to explain disproportionate influence and contagion. We demonstrate PLT’s utility by applying it to three emerging digital threat vectors: Nihilistic Violent Extremism, the decentralized 764 network, and True Crime dark fandoms. This paper details the theoretical model, addresses limitations, and concludes with directions for future empirical research on mediated radicalization.

Despite being in limelight for nearly a decade, the discourse on PVE is overly vague and largely speculative. Although the non-kinetic predisposition of PVE outlines a boundary of sorts, there is confusion over the specificity of roles that need to be played out by key actors’ such as government officials. This article sets out to identify actionable strategies that will not only help rationalize the otherwise abstract contours of PVE but will also enable government officials to develop and carry out targeted PVE interventions in a community that is either vulnerable to or a victim of violent extremism. Even though the proposed strategies are applicable to the Pakistani context, they can adequately be modified to fit other contexts as well. The PVE strategies being proposed in this article are by no means exhaustive, since not only is there room for more potential strategies but the specificity of the context could verily necessitate an entirely new set of strategies.

ABSTRACT In contemporary debates, the internet is often portrayed as ‘essential’ for terrorism. Yet, while the web clearly supports the diffusion of violent extremist causes such as global jihadism, its direct contribution to the preparation and execution of physical attacks remains insufficiently specified and empirically contested. Drawing on the available scholarly literature, this article examines four operational functions through which online tools may facilitate jihadist violence: dissemination of operational instructions, terrorist recruitment and ‘virtual planning,’ incitement to violence, and financing of attacks. The analysis suggests that jihadist violence may more often be ‘cyber-enabled’ than ‘cyber-dependent’, in the sense that the available evidence does not consistently establish the internet as a strictly necessary operational resource in documented attack trajectories. Overall, the web’s direct impact appears uneven across functions and more limited than frequently assumed, even in highly digitalised Western contexts, though subtler cumulative online influences remain difficult to capture and analyse.

Despite being in limelight for nearly a decade, the discourse on PVE is overly vague and largely speculative. Although the non-kinetic predisposition of PVE outlines a boundary of sorts, there is confusion over the specificity of roles that need to be played out by key actors such as government officials. This article sets out to identify actionable strategies that will not only help rationalize the otherwise abstract contours of PVE but will also enable government officials to develop and carry out targeted PVE interventions in a community that is either vulnerable to or a victim of violent extremism. Even though the proposed strategies are applicable to the Pakistani context, they can adequately be modified to fit other contexts as well. The PVE strategies being proposed in this article are by no means exhaustive, since not only is there room for more potential strategies but the specificity of the context could verily necessitate an entirely new set of strategies.

"Maybe rape is illegal?" how adolescents with intellectual disabilities experience a sexual violence prevention intervention.

Fleeing extreme poverty and violence and seeking safety and survival, families have increasingly migrated to the United States from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Limited scholarship has explored the transgenerational transmission of strategies for resilience, survival, and agency among Central American migrant families. Using constructivist grounded theory methods, this study sought to better understand these processes by exploring the transgenerational transmission of trauma and resilience in the context of forced migration and family separation within a sample of 24 mothers and youth who migrated to the United States from Central America. The findings reveal three important concepts that influence how trauma and resilience are transmitted across generations among families who have recently migrated from Central America. Youth and mothers described the transmission of trauma and resilience as multidirectional with impacts across generations. Participants also described experiencing ongoing systemic traumatization in the form of oppressive social, political, legal, and economic systems that perpetuate traumatic stress and cause family separation. Finally, the concept of saliendo adelante, or "moving forward," was found to be both a process and a goal for mothers and youth, constituting an important form of transgenerational resilience. Results from this study elucidate the complex and intersecting processes that contribute to the transgenerational transmission of trauma and introduce the concept of saliendo adelante, by which immigrant families transmit family goals and build resilience in the face of adversity.

ABSTRACT This article seeks to examine gendered pathways to violent extremism. Drawing on feminist security studies and constructivist theory, it analyses the evolving relationship between gendered dynamics and violent extremism (VE) recruitment in Garissa County, Kenya. Using data from 120 life-history interviews, UCINET-based social network analysis, key informant interviews, and longitudinal survey data (N = 400), the study empirically traces different gendered pathways into Al-Shabaab networks. The results indicate that economic precarity intersects with shifting masculinities (driven by unattainable provider roles, absent fathers, and substance abuse) and femininities that are constrained (exacerbated by marital pressures, illiteracy, and economic desperation) to form distinctive vulnerabilities. Critically, the findings show how violent extremist actors strategically weaponise gendered fractures by offering alternative forms of belonging, recognition, and identity. The study shows a significant increase in the recruitment of women (approximately 35% of new cases), not only as logistical supporters but also as propagandists, recruiters, and coerced “wives,” with their perceived invisibility often exploited operationally. At the same time, the study identifies a major gap in CVE communication approaches: key local influencers, especially mothers and religious leaders, remain poorly integrated into mainstream CVE channels such as radio and baraza forums.

On November 20, 2025, Matthew Kriner presented Countering Violent Extremism: Emerging Trends and Challenges at the 2025 West Coast Security Conference. The presentation was followed by a question-and-answer period with audience members and CASIS Vancouver executives. The session examined contemporary pathways to radicalisation, with particular focus on Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE), the role of school shooter cultural scripts, and the increasing uptake of non-ideological violence frameworks within online extremist ecosystems.

ABSTRACT The performative & fluid (auto)biographical piece i am monster, here presented in written form, is part of an ongoing artistic research project, cult baby (11/22- present). A collection of text fragments tenderly venture formulations of a non-binary identity, embedded in a reference frame of a Southern-German and female heritage. We hold eachother while we break away. Don’t let go, MOTHER. You are not with us, I know, but please hold me. Stories of Catholic power and submission, of neglect, an Early Modern rebellion, met with extreme violence, dating back to the witch mass murders in the lands I call home. An excruciating Modernity you got there, FATHER. My Modernity – traces of a sisterhood. Source material of scornful trials salvaged stories of what, in today’s age, would be called a feminist uprising. In my village, Schutterwald, Anna Katherina Sütterlin, carrying the literal name of my great-grandmother, raised up a band of women, girls, persons, aged 14, against patriarchal violence. So it begins, she cast embers in the face of submission. July 1557 they all burned. Sisters in name. History is slippery, though. So we pray: (…)

Parricide is an exceptionally rare phenomenon, constituting approximately 2% to 3% of all homicides in the United States. Double parricide, involving multiple victims and/or offenders, is even less common. The most famous case of double parricide in recent history is that of the Menendez brothers, who were convicted of the 1989 murders of their parents. This narrative review examines the evolving societal, academic, and legal attitudes toward the Menendez brothers' case over 35 years. An examination was conducted of criminological studies, media analyses, legal records, and primary source materials such as letters and drawings from the Menendez case. Findings indicate a shift over 35 years from framing the brothers as deviant and greedy to understanding their actions as extreme responses to prolonged familial trauma. Media narratives, true crime portrayals, social media advocacy (through documentaries and platforms like TikTok), and evolving victimology and trauma theories have influenced public opinion and legal reconsideration. The application of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven analysis through multiple professional lenses reveals patterns in pre-offense communications and artwork that may have been underappreciated in traditional forensic evaluation. Forensic nurses are essential in assessing trauma, documenting abuse, and contributing to interdisciplinary evaluations. Trauma-informed approaches enhance accurate risk assessment and ethical consideration of both survivors' and offenders' experiences in cases of extreme familial violence. The emerging integration of AI tools in forensic practice offers forensic nurses new capabilities for systematic case analysis, while maintaining the critical human expertise needed for clinical judgment and compassionate care. The Menendez case serves as a powerful reminder that our understanding of complex human behavior deepens over time, and that maintaining openness to new perspectives and methodologies is essential to providing ethical, evidence-based forensic care.

The article analyses the memories of Ixil Maya women survivors from the Communities of Population in Resistance of the Sierra (CPR-Sierra), which emerged during the genocide perpetrated in Guatemala in the early 1980s. Based on qualitative research conducted in Nebaj between 2017 and 2018, using biographical and group interviews as well as participant observation, the text proposes an understanding of ‘the mountain’ as a multidimensional space-time of memory. More than a geographical setting, the mountain condenses the experience of forced displacement, political organisation and collective practices of care and defence of life in the face of state violence. In the narratives, ‘going to the mountain,’ ‘living under the mountain,’ and ‘leaving the mountain’ structure a temporality of their own that articulates territory, temporality, and political action. The article argues that the mountain functions as a polysemic notion that allows experiences of extreme violence to be communicated without reducing them to testimony of horror, also integrating dimensions of solidarity, resistance, and community reconstruction that continue to be projected into the present.

The first- and second-generation Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) of the United Nations were thought to be inadequate in responding to the changing nature of the post-9/11 wave of global terrorism. Therefore, member states confronting the threat are implementing country-specific CVE interventions as a part of their non-kinetic responses. Pakistan, a country ranked second in 2025 in the global list of worst-hit countries, has adopted a combination of non-kinetic CVE measures, including deradicalization, rehabilitation, and counter-narrative. The paper critically examines these interventions in light of the DDR-CVE convergence model presented by Richard and recommends combining these state-led initiatives with the third-generation UN DDR programmes to develop a futuristic Demobilization and Disengagement of Violent Extremism (DDVE) framework tailored to the local context.