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aims to fill the gaps in the existing CVE approach. The MFC

study collected the voices and perspectives of the individu-

als within civil society who have unique knowledge about

their children’s emotional lives and have witnessed first-hand

the pre-violence, pre-radicalization phase. The findings yield

two significant conclusions: the first is that the sources of

extremist ideologies are diverse and widespread and, there-

fore, building resilience from the ground up is essential for

prevention. And second, mothers, located at the heart of the

family, are the starting point for establishing this resilience.

Most trusted and knowledgeable, they are best placed to guide

the healthy development of their children, as well as the first

to recognize and react to early warning signs.

Mothers Schools have been implemented in communities

at risk across Tajikistan, India/Kashmir, Pakistan, Indonesia,

Nigeria and Zanzibar. SAVE, in partnership with local non-

governmental organizations, provides training and materials for

established local trainers in the target communities, who then

run a series of 10 workshops with groups of mothers over a

three-month period. The curriculum focuses on self-awareness

and applied parenting, emphasizing critical reflection on one’s

role in the family and in promoting security. It introduces the

distinct role women can play in addressing violent extremism,

covering topics of psychosocial processes of child development,

mediums and methods of radicalization, computer skills and

improved family communication. The workshops use dialogue

and interactive exercises to facilitate cooperative learning and

are centred on the mothers’ personal narratives.

The feedback from these initial Mothers Schools has indicated

significant strides in grass-roots security. As one mother stated:

“We did not know that the peace could be brought by just chang-

ing the way we speak to our children.” Another mother said: “I

think workshops like this should be started in other places as

well to give visions to the women who feel too weak to bring any

change; this gives us time to think beyond our home routine.”

These comments provide support that this model is needed and

also readily accepted. “Often we took out our frustrations out on

them and this was misplaced anger which we vented out on the

children. I made a conscious effort to bond with my children. I

started talking to them and listening to their grievances. I see a

major improvement. There is more peace in the house, bickering

has reduced, I am confident that they will respect me more and

I am capable of loving them more.”

Due to varying cultural barriers, many of these communities

lack formal and informal settings for mothers to share experi-

ences, seek advice and exchange mutual support about the

safety of their children. This inhibits the spread of informa-

tion and strengthens the taboo around religious and political

violence. Such silence and disconnection makes prevention

very difficult. So, in response, the Mothers School model

provides the necessary time and space for barriers to be broken

down and constructive dialogue to take place. “Here we can

share our problems and also look for solutions together and

learn from the experiences of other mothers of how they have

handled their own worries about their children’s activities.”

Moreover, mothers express the impact of the workshops on

their perspectives of their role in preventing political violence.

“We had no idea how a person becomes radicalized. Now I

will always check this in my children and even in other chil-

dren.” Another mother supported this: “We always think that

such discussions can only be among the educated and elite

people from high profile societies. But now we believe, after

exploring our skills that were with us always but unfortu-

nately on sleeping mode, that we can also become friends with

our children and help them to deal with any kind of support

so they don’t feel the need to look for any violent alternatives.”

Lost sons: a mother in Kashmir considers the cost of radicalization

De-radicalization at the kitchen table: a Mothers School in Tajikistan

Image: Women without Borders/SAVE

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