Where We Work
Kyrgyzstan
Context
Kyrgyzstan is currently ranked 89 on the Global Terrorism Index of 2024. Radicalisation in Kyrgyzstan primarily stems from militant jihadi groups in Syria and Iraq, but homegrown extremist groups like Hizb ut-Tahrir also play a role. Although groups such as Tablighi Jamaat and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan do not recruit directly, their ideologies create a susceptibility to similar extremist views, often through online propaganda.
On February 20, 2024, Kyrgyz authorities completed their sixth repatriation operation, bringing back 28 women and 71 children from refugee camps in northeastern Syria. This marks a total of 511 Kyrgyz nationals, including 129 women and 382 children, repatriated from Syria and Iraq since March 2021. These returnees will undergo a comprehensive rehabilitation and reintegration process to help them adapt to peaceful life and mitigate security risks.
Three key factors contribute to the vulnerability of Kyrgyz youth to radicalisation: limited socioeconomic opportunities, unresolved ethnic conflicts, and corruption. While violent extremism is not widespread in Kyrgyzstan, individuals exposed to extremists through family and social networks are at higher risk.
Women remain especially vulnerable to violent extremism due to several factors: lack of progress in political and economic empowerment, the gender gap in labor force participation, and traditional roles that prioritise family over decision-making and public life.
Investment Focus
GCERF’s investment in Kyrgyzstan focuses on supporting the rehabilitation and reintegration (R&R) of people returning from Iraq and Northeast Syria with a special focus on women and children. The investment aims to strengthen the capacity of frontline workers, psychologists, social workers, members of educational institutions and local and national authorities to facilitate R&R.
GCERF-funded programmes engage:
- children and youth returned from Iraq and Northeast Syria (boys and girls below 18 years of age)
- mothers and women who returned from Northeast Syria
- members of the community to which people are returning
- frontline workers, local and national authorities, prison officials, educational institutions
GCERF aims to achieve the investment objectives through a range of activities conducted by community-based organisations, such as:
- providing psychological support to returnees.
- training and seed grants for women to improve their livelihoods.
- establishing an expert group to coordinate and streamline the process of R&R. Training them to improve the effectiveness of R&R.