Hotline for extremism sympathisers and supporters commendable
It is heartening that the Rab has dedicated a hotline number and email account as part of its Deradicalisation and Rehabilitation Programme where people, who are at different stages of the path to militancy, can call in and seek help. This is the first institutional deradicalisation initiative in the country, and promises to rehabilitate those who want to shun extremist ideology and praxis and return to their normal lives. However, it is not aimed at rehabilitating those who have already undertaken violent activities, but rather at those who are sympathetic to or supporters of extremism.
Currently, a team of 12 experts are running it, including six Rab officials, two religious thinkers, one psychologist, and one journalist. According to news reports, the unit will first warn sympathisers and supporters of the legal repercussions if they continue on the path to militancy and then work towards disengagement so that they do not meet or communicate with their associates. They will also be provided with financial support or job, following successful deradicalisation.
Experts have long argued that criminalisation alone cannot address the complex phenomenon of radicalisation. In fact, a Rab study found that only 25.7 percent of the militant activities could be stopped by the law enforcers. There are nuanced socio-political-economic-psychological reasons why people, particularly young people, succumb to extremist ideologies and become involved in dangerous and violent activities. It is thus imperative that any deradicalisation attempt takes a holistic approach and employs effective counselling strategies to help extremists or sympathisers to realise where they went wrong and how they can reintegrate themselves into the larger society. Rab ought to consider employing more counsellors to engage with extremism sympathisers and supporters and their families more effectively.
Now that the programme has been launched, it is important to ensure that the hotline number reaches those who need it the most, and for that, an effective publicity campaign is needed. As the programme takes shape in the coming months, we hope that Rab will continue to improve it, with input from relevant stakeholders.
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