In February 2013, in the sunny mountains of northern Tajikistan, in the city of Khujand, a group of pioneering female leaders came together to elaborate a curriculum to raise awareness among mothers for their role in confronting violent extremism and radicalization. Together with Tajik NGO ASTI, Women without Borders/SAVE developed the innovative concept of the “Mothers Schools” which aims at actively preventing the emergence of radical ideologies in the region.
Mothers Schools Group Photo Khujand Feb ’13 Photo by Jamshed Turaev
Tajikistan, the poorest country of the former Soviet republics in Central Asia, is often overlooked or ignored altogether. The mountainous country is home to many ethnic and religious minorities and due to its long border with Afghanistan, it is considered to become one of the main destinations for refugees and radicals alike after the withdrawal of troops in 2014. Aside from geo-strategic factors, Tajik families are challenged with a special set of socio-economic issues. The country is struggling to fight poverty, over 73 percent of the population lives in rural areas and 46 percent is younger than 19. Many mothers raise their children on their own, while their fathers work abroad and with soaring unemployment rates, perspectives for the young are limited – the perfect setting for the spreading of radical ideologies.
Even more so in a framework like this, mothers play an eminent role in preventing their children from turning to radical and extremist ideas. In order to bring out their potential, the curriculum provides know-how and skills training to respond to early warning signs of potential radicalization in their children within their own homes and communities. The individual sessions of the “Mothers School” focus on the development of “Smart Power”: the critical tools of dialogue and understanding, as well as parenting skills, and family communication, supported by de-radicalization techniques and backed by theoretical knowledge about the psycho-social process of child development.
The participants agreed that peace starts at home, and did ethnic and religious differences were not an issue– the human factor trumped all. One of the participants captured the mood of the meeting when she exclaimed: ‘We all give life, so we are all in this together!’ This alternative security paradigm, with women and mothers as new players and partners, is a challenging calling – and they are ready for it!