New fund for projects addressing violent extremism
Fri 14 Apr 2023
The Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Fund will give grants up to $50,000 to community and non-government organisations for projects addressing violent extremism. The closing date is 17 May 2023.
New Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Fund
The government set up the Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Fund to support community and civil society organisations to deliver initiatives that counter and build resilience to violent extremism and radicalisation in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The closing date to apply for funding is 17 May 2023.
The Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Fund has 4 priority areas:
- "develop and deliver initiatives and/or resources that support individuals on a path of radicalisation to violence from further harm
- develop and deliver positive online interventions that make online spaces safer and mitigate the risk of radicalisation
- address and challenge harmful ideas, messages of hate and intolerance that promote violent extremism
- build capability within community organisations to recognise and respond to radicalisation."
Organisations can apply for grants up to $50,000. The grants can be used for:
- "support the disengagement of individuals from violent extremism
- promote positive online interventions
- build understanding of radicalisation and engagement with extremist ideologies in New Zealand
- normalise early intervention and prevention initiatives that address the root causes of radicalisation
- promote counter-extremist narratives
- provide training and development to build understanding of radicalisation and extremism in the workforce."
The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) is hosting 2 webinars about the fund on 18 April and 2 May 2023.
Background information
The National Collective of Independent Women’s Refuges (NCIWR) wrote a submission on the links between violent extremism and intimate partner violence in April 2022. For more research, reports and background about the links between gender based violence and extreme violence, see our related news stories below and search our library under extremism.
Related news
Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tāhono (IACT), Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand, and Tohatoha have joined together to create the Coalition for Better Digital Policy. The Coalition is focused on online safety and specifically improving the Code of Practice for Online Safety and Harms. The Code was developed by several transnational digital platforms (e.g. Google, Meta, Amazon, Twitter) and NetSafe, and is now hosted by NZTech. Advocates have continued to raise concerns about the accountability and effectiveness of the Code. The governance structure and some members of the Oversight Committee for the Code have recently been confirmed.
The government is developing a Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) Strategic Framework. This work is being led by DPMC. The Strategic Framework is expected to be finalised in 2023.
Former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been appointed Special Envoy for the Christchurch Call. The role will represent Aotearoa New Zealand’s ongoing commitment in working towards greater protection online from terrorist and violent extremist content. The Christchurch Call is a global community of over 120 governments, online service providers, and civil society organisations acting together to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online. Following a summit of leaders from the Christchurch Call in New York in September 2022, the Co-Chair Statement Christchurch Call Leaders’ Summit was issued. This statement includes acknowledgement of the links with misogyny and gender-based hatred and violent extremism, with the leaders endorsing (among other points):
"Recognizing that there are demonstrated linkages between targeted violence and online hate-based movements and ideologies, including, for example, online misogyny, gender-based hatred, and other hate-based, discriminatory prejudices, deepen the evidence base on the links between these factors as potential vectors for terrorism and violent extremism."
UN Women, as part of its Joint Programme on Violence against Women Data with the World Health Organization, brought together experts in November 2022 to develop a common global definition of technology-facilitated violence against women. The report, Expert Group Meeting report: Technology-facilitated violence against women: Towards a common definition (2023), summarises the main points from the meeting, proposes a common definition and explains the rationale behind the definition.
The 67th Session of the Commission on Status of Women (CSW) took place in March 2023 in New York. The priority theme was Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. The CSW67 Agreed Conclusions call on states to take action on 8 areas. Under Preventing and eliminating all forms of violence, including gender-based violence that occurs through or is amplified by the use of technologies, there are 12 recommendations (see pages 24-26). UN Women highlighted that CSW67 "...expressed grave concern about the continuity and interrelation between offline and online violence, harassment and discrimination against women and girls and condemned the increase of such acts." The Women's Rights Caucus, a global coalition of more than 200 feminist organisations, welcomed the Agreed Conclusions and noted "In particular, we are encouraged by several references to adolescent girls throughout the CSW text, including Member States’ recognition that adolescent girls are part of the most digitally connected generation in history and can disproportionately face discrimination and violence that occurs through or is amplified by the use of technology." In Minister for Women Jan Tinetti's speech to the CSW, she said:
"Global efforts to eliminate gender-based violence and discrimination must focus on the rising misogyny and misinformation expressed online. Improving online safety will also improve women and girls’ ability to fully participate in political and public facing roles.
We are working domestically and internationally to ensure collective action and the enhancement of human rights protection online. Last year, we were pleased to join the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse. We are also proud co-leaders of the Christchurch Call and thank you for your crucial support in eliminating terrorist and violent extremist content shared online."
Related media
New laws passed to reduce terrorism risk and keep community safe, Beehive media release, 04.05.2023
SIS identifies several spies in NZ, Newsroom, 05.04.2023
Co-chair of CH Call Advisory Network on Ardern's appointment, RNZ, 05.04.2023
How an absolutist approach to free speech is obscuring hate speech, Stuff, 23.03.2023
Opinion: Incel violence is more male supremacist crimes against women, NZ Herald, 15.03.2023
All but one online take-down notice ignored, Newsroom, 20.02.2023
Women and the alt-right in New Zealand, The Spinoff, 20.02.2023
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