Minerva-funded Researcher, Dr. Mia Bloom's (Georgia State University) project on children in violent extremism (2015-2021) was integrated into the NATO Assessment, “Children in Violent Extremism Organisations in the Middle East and Africa”. This assessment helped determine that there is a need to better identify child recruitment patterns, especially in relation to the areas experiencing growing Violent Extremism Organisations (VEO) activity across Africa. “This can help increase understanding as to how widespread the opportunities are for VEOs regarding: organisation, recruitment and development of local support; how much control VEOs exercise over territories and populations; and how much freedom of action they have. These may, in turn, be critical in supporting decision-making on military and non-military options, where appropriate, including in order to prevent child recruitment on an even larger scale.”
To read the full assessment, click here.