On October 5, 2022, in Ashgabat, the second in a series of three-day training sessions on spreading awareness of the dangers of violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism (VERLT) came to an end, OSCE reports.
The activities’ main objectives are to present the fundamental ideas of VERLT and to increase public awareness of the circumstances that encourage terrorism.
For law enforcement officials and police cadets, the first event was planned in September. Participants included representatives from the Supreme Court, General Prosecutor’s Office, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of National Security, Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Representatives from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Sports and Youth Policy, Youth Union named after Magtymguly, university students, and young activists from neighborhood public organizations were all present at the continuing event, which was geared at youth participants.
The course for community leaders that will bring together representatives of the national parliament, government institutions, and ministries, as well as authorized parties, public organizations, and national media, will wrap up the series in November.
Local experts who underwent the OSCE Leaders against Intolerance and Violent Extremism (LIVE) Training-of-Trainers program and later participated in the creation of specialized training modules within the framework of the project agreed upon by the OSCE and host government are leading all three courses.
The training program included information on the VERLT situation in the Central Asian region and a summary of Turkmenistan’s relevant state laws. In reaction to VERLT, national experts discussed concerns relating to gender stereotypes, human vulnerabilities, and media literacy and stressed the significance of respecting human rights. A gender-responsive and all-of-society approach to VERLT prevention was demonstrated by the pertinent training sessions that addressed the role of either adolescents, law enforcement, or community leaders, including women and religious leaders, depending on the target audience in each event.
