BY SHABAN OMAR
Concerns have been raised about the growing use of technology by violent extremist recruiters to target and recruit youth along the coastal region.
It is reported that violent extremists are exploiting the vulnerabilities of youth, particularly young women, by using social media to lure them with false employment opportunities as a means of recruitment.
Program Officer for the Coast Interfaith Council of Clerics Trust Mwanaharusi Ali said that girls are often lured through social media with promises of lucrative jobs abroad.
However, they end up being forcefully recruited into criminal activities and, in some cases, become wives of the recruiters.
“We have observed that internet and social media platforms are being used as tools for recruitment and radicalization, particularly targeting desperate young people,” said Ali.
She further urged all stakeholders to actively participate in efforts to counter violent extremism.
Ali emphasized that addressing violent extremism cannot be the responsibility of a single entity but requires a collaborative and collective approach.
She spoke in an interview during a Quarterly County Engagement Forum in Diani, Kwale County.
The meeting brought together CEF members, senior county government representatives, County Assembly of Kwale and the civil society representatives.
The forum was organized by the Human Development Agenda with support from Mercy Corps, the Kenya School of Government, and the Centre for Human Rights and Policy Studies, under the USAID Sauti program.
The program “Sauti Yako, Amani Yako”, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), aims to strengthen locally driven resilience to violent extremism in targeted communities.
It seeks to establish an inclusive, responsive, and self-sustaining system for preventing and countering violent extremism in Kenya.
According to HUDA CEF focal point person for Law Enforcement Pillar Mariam Omar, the consultative forum seek to understand the status and progress of implementation of the Kwale County Action Plan (CAP), assess challenges and opportunities for integration of Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism responses through the County Annual Plans.
She said the forum was also meant to further explore the role of the CEF and opportunities for expanding the membership to enhance sustainability.
Omar also urged communities to support government and NGO initiatives in combating crime and violent extremism.
“The government and NGOs are making significant efforts to address the issue of crime, which is why we are calling on people to take ownership of these programs,” she said.
Kwale County Kaya Elders Committee Secretary Salim Mwasabu urged parents to play an active role in instilling good values in their children.
He pointed out that the lack of proper parental upbringing is one of the key contributors to crime and violent extremism.
Mwasabu also noted that while unemployment is often blamed for crime, many criminals are young people under the age of 18.
“It is also about poor parenting, because what is a 10-year-old doing in crime? Can we really say it’s about unemployment?” he questioned.
