Gina Vale
Lecturer of Criminology @University of Southampton
📘 Author: "The Unforgotten Women of the Islamic State" OxUniPress 2024
Associate/Fellow @ICCT_TheHague & @Vox_Pol
Study #terrorism, #extremism, #gender, #youth
✉️ gina.vale@soton.ac.uk
Usual caveats
- 🗣️ New year, new publication! ✍ I'm delighted to share my new article, "Exploited for the Cause?: The Potential for a Cross-Harm Approach to Children's Online Engagement in Terrorism," published #openaccess in the British Journal of Criminology: doi.org/10.1093/bjc/...
- I apply an #exploitation lens to children's recruitment and engagement in terrorism/violent extremism online, drawing from 30 interviews + 2 workshops with experts across #counterterrorism, #antislavery, #childprotection + #digitalsecurity.
- Key contributions: 1) I propose conceptualising online extremist recruitment as a form of child criminal exploitation. Drawing parallels with county lines + sexual exploitation, I highlight how children are groomed and exploited in digital spaces for ideological gains.
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View full threadMy research calls for a fundamental shift in how policymakers, practitioners, and scholars understand children's vulnerability to radicalisation—one that centres their protection while maintaining community safety. I welcome your thoughts and engagement with this work 🤓
- 🚨 Call for Papers! @alexphelan.bsky.social and I are excited to announce the call for papers for our upcoming special issue on "Learning from Insurgent-Run Education" for Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, please share widely. Proposal deadline is 8 January 2026, and full details below 👇
- Across diverse #conflict-affected settings, insurgencies have developed complex #education systems that influence local #governance, identity, & post-war pathways. These systems shed light on how armed actors construct legitimacy and anchor themselves within communities.
- This special issue invites researchers to analyse the varied forms of insurgent-led education and to consider what these practices reveal about conflict dynamics, relations between civilians and militants, and processes of long-term recovery.
- We welcome submissions from scholars, policymakers, and practitioners—especially those from the Global South and under-represented or minority groups. Both empirical and theoretical contributions drawing on political science, IR, and related disciplines are encouraged 🎉🤓
- A must-read article by my fab-u-lous colleague @ashkingdon.bsky.social examining the mechanisms and implications of #environmental #governance competition of non-state actors from 2010-2025! 🥳🤓👇
- 🚨New Publication Alert🚨 Thrilled My Latest Article - The Darkest Shade of Green - Is Out In Studies In Conflict & Terrorism 🎉🍾🥳I Examine the Links Between #ClimateChange and #RebelGovernance among #IslamicState #AlQaeda #Hamas & #Hezbollah 👇👇👇 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
- I was delighted to join Miranda Melcher of the @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social about my book 'The Unforgotten Women of the #IslamicState'. We talked all things intra-gendered governance and local civilian women's acts of survival & resistance 💪 Have a listen 👇 newbooksnetwork.com/the-unforgot...
- Reposted by Gina ValeAll thanks to you @ginavale.bsky.social for your *phenomenal* contribution with Hannah Rose on the framings of child terrorism offenders. This essential paper is available #OpenAccess www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
- Huge thanks owed to @johnhorgan.bsky.social & Max Taylor for including our work in the special issue, and to James Forest in the publication process. Highly recommend checking out the whole special issue, it's a fantastic line-up, so grateful to be part of it! www.tandfonline.com/toc/ftpv20/3...
- Reposted by Gina ValeThe entire special issue on terrorist motivation has just been published, with several pieces #openaccess. Check it out. www.tandfonline.com/toc/ftpv20/3...
- 📢 New publication! Really pleased to share part 2 of Childhood Innocence Project with @hannahbrose.bsky.social: "Firm Convictions?: Unpicking Framings of Child #Terrorism Offenders" published in new @terpolv.bsky.social special issue on terrorist motivations /1 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
- We analyse the mitigating and aggravating factors at sentencing for 43 cases of #children convicted of #terrorism offences in England & Wales. Key finding: the exceptionalism of the "child terrorist" as either unknowingly naive victims or monstrous perpetrators /2
- We identified 6 key framings at sentencing: maturity, ideological commitment, thrill-seeking, intentionality, socialisation, and adverse childhood experiences & neurodiversity. All of these draw on youth stereotypes to either over- or under-ascribe agency and terroristic motivation /3
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View full threadHuge thanks owed to @johnhorgan.bsky.social & Max Taylor for including our work in the special issue, and to James Forest in the publication process. Highly recommend checking out the whole special issue, it's a fantastic line-up, so grateful to be part of it! www.tandfonline.com/toc/ftpv20/3...
- Already another update to the Childhood Innocence project dataset with @hannahbrose.bsky.social. Now 57 #children convicted of #terrorism offences in England & Wales since 2016. Latest case is an Islamist boy who plotted a gun #attack & planned travel to #Somalia. icsr.info/childhood-in...
- Breaking my social media hiatus to share update of Childhood Innocence Project w. @hannahbrose.bsky.social. Now 56 #children convicted of #terrorism offences in England & Wales since 2016. Latest case is #Southport copy-cat who planned a "Rudakubana-style attack" /1 t.co/o6lqAMJTs3
- The 17-year-old boy from Cwmbran openly praised #Rudakubana, possessed the same #alQaeda training manual, researched knives, and claimed to have tried to make ricin (since denied). He planned to attack the first #Oasis reunion concert & a dance school near his home /2
- Like #Rudakubana, the prosecution found no evidence that the Cwmbran boy had an ideology that would fit the legal definition of #terrorism. Thus he cannot be charged with preparing an act of terrorism. He pleaded guilty to one charge (possession of AQ doc) & awaits sentencing /3.
- This case highlights crucial gaps in the UK's #counterterrorism apparatus, which is ineffective to prevent and respond to non-ideological risks. But, any broader violence prevention approach must take care to balance national security with children's #safeguarding needs /end.
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- Reposted by Gina ValeHow did the #IS use #gendered oppression to secure power? @ginavale.bsky.social’s analysis dives into how IS #governance divided local #women, stratifying rights and roles to serve their #ideology. Read more ➡️ buff.ly/o37bBcX
- Sharing Childhood Innocence Project here for first time. @hannahbrose.bsky.social and I tracked, compiled & analysed cases of #children (u-18s) convicted of #terrorism offences in England & Wales since 2016. Our live update reaches total 55 cases & includes a second girl 👇 icsr.info/childhood-in...
- Due to be sentenced today - Farishta Jami convicted of 2 counts of preparing acts of #terrorism for planned travel for herself and children to join #IslamicState KP in #Afghanistan. Interestingly, she had researched weaponry incl. (dis/)assembly of AK47 www.counterterrorism.police.uk/warwickshire...
- Great opportunity for the PhD summer school in Oslo 9-13 June 2025 with @crexuio.bsky.social and VOX-Pol - led by the amazing @audreygagnon.bsky.social and Nicola Mathieson. Details below! 👇
- 📣 Call for applications 📣 @audreygagnon.bsky.social & Nicola Mathieson are collaborating with @crexuio.bsky.social and VOX-Pol to organize a PhD Summer School on the study of online right-wing extremism, to be held in Oslo from 9-13 June 2025! For more info: www.sv.uio.no/c-rex/englis...
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- Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme request received for Axel Rudakubana #SouthportAttack. I'm curious to know the grounds for petition. Horrific case, but the fact that the offender was a minor (even if only 9 days short of 18th bday) automatically negates whole-life tariff www.gov.uk/government/n...
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