Publication
The life of children in families affiliated with terrorism: an ecological systems theory approach
In this article, Joana Cook and Lynn Schneider demonstrates the utility of Ecological Systems Theory (EST) for researchers and practitioners to better understand the impact of familial involvement in terrorist groups on children moving away from more security-oriented approaches.
- Author
- Joana Cook and Lynn Schneider
- Date
- 05 March 2024
- Links
- Read the full article here
This paper highlights the utility of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (EST) to systematically identify how this familial affiliation may impact the child’s life in diverse ways that extend beyond security-oriented outcomes. Cook and Schneider demonstrate that EST is particularly useful because it allows us to systematically and holistically understand how the life of the child is impacted by familial association with a terrorist group in multiple spheres of their life, for example family, education and peer groups. The authors applied this approach to an example of a family who travelled to Syria in 2015 to join ISIS.
As demonstrated in their paper, a multidisciplinary approach facilitates a better understanding of the individual life experiences of children involved in terrorist groups. Research from other fields also highlights the importance of considering aspects such as agency of these children, or how children may be viewed or treated based on their profile, such as age, gender, race and others, including in legal and security contexts.
Future work drawing on EST could also be used to advance and to synthesise findings pertaining to the experiences of children whose families are affiliated with terrorist groups.