The involvement of women in violent extremist and terrorist groups is on the rise in Kenya and the Horn of Africa region. Women, as opposed to men, have long been treated majorly as victims of terrorism and violent extremism. Resultantly, women have received lesser scrutiny by security agencies and policy-makers. As a consequence, extremist and terrorist groups recruit women into their activities for tactical and strategic reasons. Therefore, security agencies and policy actors should equally involve women in P/CVE and scrutinize their involvement in violent extremism and terrorism. This brief highlights the roles, motivations, and vulnerabilities of women to violent extremism and terrorism, and advances a gendered approach to P/CVE.
