CASIS project
Counterterrorism And Safeguarding in response to Islamic State
CASIS project
Counterterrorism And Safeguarding in response to Islamic State
About Us
The CASIS Project
The CASIS project examines responses to young Islamic State returnees from Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, to create new academic insights and research.
Bringing together academics and practitioners from across the Mediterranean region, the project critically explores the tensions between security and safeguarding approaches and how debates over young returnees have shaped wider counterterror policy.
Project Activities
The CASIS Project will produce several outputs, including academic and technical reports, hybrid workshops and interactive mapping tools, exploring key issues around youth repatriation, reintegration and counterterrorism in response to returnees from Islamic State.
All reports and tools will be available online as they are published, to support research and policymaking around young returnees.
The Project Context
European politicians are yet to develop a coherent response to young returnees from Islamic State. Between 3,704 and 4,640 foreign minors have been accounted for in Islamic State (representing some 9-12% of foreign affiliates) and 730 confirmed children were born in Iraq and Syria – many of whom have lost one or both parents.
Whilst the language of child protection and safeguarding has come to dominate elements of counterterrorism, its contradictory approach and inconsistent application undermines its legitimacy. Such 'safeguarding' also operates in tension with the language of security, which has seen some young returnees stripped of their citizenship and made stateless.
Research Partners & Funding
The CASIS project has received funding from the Erasmus+ programme in 2021, with support from the European University Institute and the Graduate Institute Geneva.
In 2022, the CASIS project received funding from the CIVICA European partnership, with support from the European University Institute and the London School of Economics and Political Science.