The Role of Women Peacebuilders in the Reintegration of Female Returnees: A Gender-Responsive and Peacebuilding Approach to Preventing Violent Extremism

“The Role of Women Peacebuilders in the Reintegration of Female Returnees: A Gender-Responsive and Peacebuilding Approach to Preventing Violent Extremism” highlights the critical role of women peacebuilders and community-based approaches in transforming reintegration processes beyond security-driven frameworks. Developed as a position paper for the civil society dialogue on the review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in March 2026, the document underscores urgent challenges in Southeast Asia, where reintegration efforts remain largely state-centric and insufficiently address social trust, gender dynamics, and community acceptance. Drawing from field experiences in Indonesia—particularly in Depok and Lamongan—the paper emphasizes the effectiveness of Reflective Structured Dialogue (RSD) and grassroots women’s leadership in rebuilding social cohesion, reducing stigma, and preventing recidivism. It stands as a strategic call for reframing reintegration as a peacebuilding process, institutionalizing women’s leadership, and operationalizing whole-of-society approaches that are gender-responsive, community-led, and grounded in human rights to ensure sustainable disengagement from violent extremism and long-term peace.