CIPC 20th anniversary Prevention of Violent Radicalisation Véronique KETELAER Director of Prevention and Participation City of Brussels, (BRAVVO municipal agency) Un modèle de présentation adapté à tous les services 30 octobre 2014 1
City of Brussels: capital of UE and Belgium 170.000 inhabitants (Bruss Regio = 1.100.000) 28km2 1.000.000 visitors/day 23% rate unemployment 55% single parent with child (isolated families) 14 % large families (4childrens) 10-30 % foreigners 560 demonstrations/year, 105 UE Summits/Councils meetings, Un modèle de présentation adapté à tous les services 30 octobre 2014 2
BRAVVO in figures : Municipal association created in 2004 270 employees (70% in the streets) 10 different public funding programmes to coordinate (admin/fin/operational) : prevention plans, investiment in social housing, social cohesion plans, districts development,.. Budget = 14.000.000 /year 65% supralocal public fundings Un modèle de présentation adapté à tous les services 30 octobre 2014 3
Bravvo focuses on 3 major OBJECTIVES: improvement of urban safety and the feeling of security fight against social exclusion Making urban living attractive (districts and community development) Un modèle de présentation adapté à tous les services 30 octobre 2014 4
Violent radicalisation: first occurrence of the problem in Brussels End 2012: information from field workers about alarming disappearances of young people and young adults known by Bravvo services (area Laeken), possibly gone to fight in Syria April 2013 first internal report established on radicalisation process and good practises known so far April 2013, news that 2 young people died in Syria Gathering of all objective information in a local diagnosis Designation of internal agent as pilot (social mediator) Meeting with the families involved and touched by phenomenon, creation of specific space for expression and dialogue (listening, informations, contacts points) Un modèle de présentation adapté à tous les services 30 octobre 2014 5
Who are Belgian candidates for Syria/Irak? Different profiles: under-qualified young people with limited economical and professional future prospect, highly educated people converts = 3 main profiles targeted by recrutement websites Oct 2014 figures (Home affairs/safety agency): Around 300 Belgians concerned by departures in Syria Around 100 «returnees» in Belgium Region: Antwerpen; Brussels, Vilvoorde, Mechelen.. Increasing with mainstream media reports, religious festivities or end of holiday period Un modèle de présentation adapté à tous les services 30 octobre 2014 6
Who are Belgian candidates for Syria and Irak? > Mainly men, but increasing of number of women and families leaving to settle down in Syria-Irak Women, motivation is to become fighter s wife, or foster mother for orphans. Often recruited by other women on social networks, focus on dedication. Families motivation is «Califat», a state with islamic values they could feel at ease with (settle in the land) > Ages: mostly people in their 20-30 s y old (12-60 y old) Un modèle de présentation adapté à tous les services 30 octobre 2014 7
How are they recruited? > Mostly on internet (cases of self-radicalisation) > Radicalisation often spreads easier in groups of people having close relationships: peers groups, families Families and peer groups at risk are the ones in which one of the members has radicalised. Others are more likely to follow the example Example of families where all the sons are gone and some dead > Active presence of recruiters in associations, cafés and chicha bars, rarely in mosques > Facilitating ideological context: more conservative practices of islam in occident («back to the roots» ideology) Un modèle de présentation adapté à tous les services 30 octobre 2014 8
Impact on families and communities Most of the time families feel overwhelmed: Afraid of being judged as radicals and bad parents by people outside the community, or as too moderate people by community insiders. So they seldom ask for help Some decisions at a federal level can impact local work done with families (ex: armed intervention in Irak, families decided not to work with us anymore) This phenomenon is a sign of failure of conviviality and social cohesion in neighbourhoods. In some cities (ex: Gent in Flanders) where citizens links are strong and multiculturality is worked on, there have been no departure for Syria or Irak. This phenomenon is a threat to communities peaceful coexistence Un modèle de présentation adapté à tous les services 30 octobre 2014 9
What re-action in Brussels City? Designation of a project manager in charge of prevention of violent radicalisation Contact point for families and communities Expert advice for inhabitants or field workers Diagnosis: gathering of all relevant informations on topic for diagnosis update Responsible for implementation of local action plan and animate the local inter-service platform Information and advice to the local authorities Development of partners network shadow worker (not media person) He is assisted by little back-up committee inside Bravvo Production of a local strategy (diagnosis + action plan): procedures for information sharing between services (legal and deontological framework), identification of ressources (contact points), case management, Work protective factors with youngsters (involvment in humanitarian and societal programs, best practices exchange and networking (local and international levels) Un modèle de présentation adapté à tous les services 30 octobre 2014 10
Strategy of Brussels City Training of the field workers: 2 days training session for staff members, coordinators first and then field workers Stakeholders from police, home affairs security agency, academic world, field workers, and families touched by phenomenon Integrate networks on the topic, at a local, regional, national and international levels: BFUPS, EFUS, City inter- services platform, expert groups of the Internal Affairs Ministry, RAD (Radicalisation Awareness Network of European commission) Work with media («be cautious»): only take the floor if possible to speak about impact on families and communities and prevent glamourizing of fighters and jihad Un modèle de présentation adapté à tous les services 30 octobre 2014 11
Is a city competent on this subject? Is a city legitimate to deal with this problem? Neighbourhood impact > legitimacy (population ask for reaction, information) Violent radicalisation touches the inhabitants of the city, and has an impact on safety (feeling and real), but also on the capacity of peaceful coexistence and social cohesion in the city (exclusion is not acceptable). The roots can be local (community feeling discriminated, not given the same chances towards employment or social and cultural evolution) What we do not as municipal Prevention service? Intelligence Agency job (detection) Break the law concerning professionnal secrecy, put our social workers in danger. Avoid our responsability (not «sand policy»: the problem is real and serious and we have to face it. Un modèle de présentation adapté à tous les services 30 octobre 2014 12
What is the role of a prevention service? What do we do? Proximity and dialogue: open debate on the topic, improve the quality of life in neighbourhoods and equal chances, preventing conflicts and frustrations (social work in youth centers and with young adults), give tools and training to people against hate, sectionalism and intolerance Display information, psychological and social support to people at risk and their relatives, Information and tranings to field workers (municipal) Facilitate awareness training sessions in schools (not done yet in Brussels) Un modèle de présentation adapté à tous les services 30 octobre 2014 13
Problems and resistance? Part of field workers, from cultural or ethnical background close to the communities touched, did not want to raise the subject with public or within Bravvo Touchy subject, religion involved, meaning intimacy Fear from social field workers to be used and instrumentalised by police, security agency and to be turned into detection agents Fear to lose confident relationship with the public by raising the subject Fear of being dragged into a fashinonable issue when other issues are as important but less visible, and versus generalist roles Un modèle de présentation adapté à tous les services 30 octobre 2014 14
Problems and resistance New issue: legal status is complex Fear for prison: given the risk for people to go to prison once they come back >> families don t ask for help and hide their kids Not enough second-line associations for expertise and relay of individuals (returnees) Foreign good practises are not always possible to implement in Belgium (costs, expertise, institutional and political complexity) Un modèle de présentation adapté à tous les services 30 octobre 2014 15
Perspectives Cooperation model and multiagency parnership: between police, State safety Dpt, crime prevention services, schools, youth and social, Population Dept at local and supra-local levels: > Need to fix the procedures / protocols > asset in Belgium: partnership habits and integrated crime prevention policy Hotline for inhabitants and field workers to get information and advice at a national level > ex: Amsterdam Information House Networking and good practices exchange: evaluation of impact in projects, good practices exchanges and coaching between cities Un modèle de présentation adapté à tous les services 30 octobre 2014 16
Thank you for your attention Contact: Véronique Ketelaer, Directrice Prévention Participation City of Brussels- Bravvo Véronique.Ketelaer@brucity.be www.bravvo.be www.brucity.be Un modèle de présentation adapté à tous les services 30 octobre 2014 17