In recent years, women’s support for, and participation in, ISIL’s activities has generated growing attention. Women’s radicalization to political violence and terrorism is nothing new per se, but ISIL’s success in recruiting women has been remarkable in several ways, including in terms of the sheer numbers; the geographical diversity of the women; and the new policy challenges that have emerged as a result of this unprecedented level of mobilization. The Security Council has responded to these developments by introducing a range of provisions that require Member States to consider the different roles played by women, analyse the drivers of their radicalization, and devise gender-sensitive counter-terrorism and countering violent extremism (CVE) responses which take into account the impact on women’s human rights.

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