Countering Violent Extremism (CVE): Human Rights Based Approach to Promote Tolerance and Accountability

Furqan Ahmed 

Area Study Center for Europe, University of Karachi

email: f_ahmed_10@outlook.com

I. Introduction: In recent years, violent extremism has become a bigger problem. This issue affects global peace and development and has been widely regarded as a significant threat to the world. The CVE programs were introduced for those countries where the security situations were very critical. These programs were mainly introduced to identify and control terrorists and violent extremists. Nevertheless, alongside these CVE programs, human rights violations have been violated. The main argument of this blog post is to discuss that the CVE programs should abide by the regulations and procedures of a human rights-based approach. The need for long-term solutions has never been greater or more challenging as the risks posed by violent extremism and terrorism continue to elude prediction. According to the United Nations (UN) ‘development, peace and security, and human rights are interlinked and mutually reinforcing.[1] This propitiation talks about how human rights approach can be beneficial in countering violent extremism for promoting tolerance and accountability. 

II. The Human Rights Implications of CVE: There are numerous CVE programs whose strategies violate human rights—for instance, freedom of expression, non-discrimination or privacy. CVE programs have their share of stigmatizing and discriminating against many communities, such as targeting Muslim communities and violating their fundamental rights. The paper includes a whole section titled “Preventing Violent Extremism While Promoting Human Rights: Toward a Clarified UN Approach.” Where it discusses the two main justifications for using PVE programs to advance human rights. First, national governments’ interests and donor countries’ securities often prioritized in counterterrorism narratives over the concerns of local communities and individuals. “Second, even “soft” PVE approaches can be pernicious if they exacerbate preexisting social tensions and divisions or legitimize government crackdowns and oppression that involve human rights abuses.”[2] Similarly, on March 4, 2020, a report submitted to the Human Rights Council by the Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights, Fionnuala N. Aolain, was referenced in an article published by the Middle East Eye (MEE), a London-based news website. In her report, N. Aolain expressed concern over how the counter-terrorism policies adopted by the United Kingdom and the United States contribute to human rights violations.[3]

III. A Human Rights-Based Approach to CVE: Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) promotes inclusivity, accountability, and transparency. This approach supports community-led initiatives, education and awareness-raising programs, and legal remedies. Therefore, handling CVE programs as per the regulations and procedures of a human rights-based approach is beneficial. 

Promoting Tolerance and Accountability in CVE: Tolerance and accountability are among the essential factors in HRBA. Community engagement, dialogue, and monitoring are vital in promoting tolerance and accountability in CVE. “The UN System has responded accordingly with the UN secretary-general’s 2016 Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, which recognizes the scale of the global threat and lays the groundwork for preventing violent extremism (PVE) through the UN system”.[4] International Peace Institute (IPI) produced a paper on “Preventing Violent Extremism While Promoting Human Rights: Toward a Clarified UN Approach”. The paper provides significant knowledge on preventing violent extremism and implementing PVE-aligned and PVE-specific activities. The research paper mentioned above backs up the claim to combat conflict and violent extremism through a human rights-based approach of this blog. 

IV. Challenges and Criticism of a Human Rights-Based Approach to CVE: Implementation of this approach draws numerous challenges. These challenges include a need for more political will and backlash among certain groups’ potential. This approach also comes with criticism, such as a preference for individual rights over collective security. The article “The Security Versus Freedom Dilemma. An Empirical Study of the Spanish Case” by Gonzalo Herranz de Rafael and Juan S. Fernández-Prados, speaks about the Covid-19 pandemic “was not only the first event that has forced public opinion to consider the dilemma of freedom versus security in a world dominated by the influence of so-called new information and communication technologies.”

V. Conclusion: In conclusion, CVE is a very critical issue, and to resolve this issue, human rights-based approach is fundamental. Because this approach helps promote inclusivity, accountability, and transparency, implementing HRBA has numerous challenges and draws much criticism. Individuals and organizations must support human rights principles through community-led initiatives and education awareness-raising programs. Security concerns must be kept in mind while introducing solutions. 

Sources/References. 

  1. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/counter-terrorism-programmes-prevent-cve-violate-human-rights-un
  2. https://www.ipinst.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/1907_PVE-While-Promoting-Human-Rights.pdf
  3. https://oslo3.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Oslo_I_report.pdf
  4. https://community-democracies.org/app/uploads/2018/06/aitwr-3-1.pdf

[1] “How Human Rights and the Rule of Law can address terrorism”, Cheryl Frank, Institute for Security Studies. 

[2] Preventing Violent Extremism While Promoting Human Rights: Toward a Clarified UN Approach, Dr. Chuck Thiessen, Assistant Professor at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations (CTPSR) at Coventry University International Peace Institute, July 2019. 

[3] https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/counter-terrorism-programmes-prevent-cve-violate-human-rights-un

[4]  Preventing Violent Extremism While Promoting Human Rights: Toward a Clarified UN Approach, Dr. Chuck Thiessen, Assistant Professor at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations (CTPSR) at Coventry University International Peace Institute, July 2019.