Resources on Prevent

Our resources on Prevent and global CVE include our expert views, reports, statements, briefs, journal articles, and Prevent in the arts.

Expert Views

What a Prevent referral actually does to a child

14 October 2026

From the trauma of being questioned alone with no adults present to worsening mental health, a Prevent referral can be devastating to a child even when it is deemed unwarranted, writes Zara W. Tahir. Just over half (53% according to...

Picture of an elephant for article about Prevent strategy and ideology

The Elephant and the Rider: Why the Prevent strategy’s shifting treatment of ideology proves it is ineffective and harmful

30 September 2026

The Prevent strategy’s theory that once held that ideology drives terrorism, now no longer describes the people it targets. This means Prevent has not evolved – rather, it has undone itself, writes Zara W. Tahir. Throughout history...

Picture of northern Ireland in article about no Prevent strategy in northern Ireland

No Prevent? Lessons from Northern Ireland

22 September 2026

Northern Ireland has experienced decades of politically motivated violence, paramilitarism, and community polarisation on a scale unmatched elsewhere in the UK. This piece by Zara W. Tahir examines why Prevent has never been applied in...

To the teacher who has been told to make a Prevent referral: you have more room than you think

17 September 2026

When it comes to making a Prevent referral, teachers can lean on several laws to push back against what can often feel like a compulsory measure, writes Dr Layla Aitlhadj. In June, Prevent Watch published an Educators’ Resource with Amnesty...

Back to School: What has changed when it comes to Prevent in schools

14 September 2026

The rules around your child changed this year. Here are three things linked to Prevent in schools that you need to know, writes Dr Layla Aitlhadj. If your child started school or a new year this September, you would have been given the...

picture of the united nations headquarters in geneva for a story on reparations for uk prevent duty

UN racial discrimination committee grades UK progress on Prevent ‘unsatisfactory’

7 September 2026

Two years ago, on 23 August 2024, the UN’s racial discrimination committee urged the UK to suspend the Prevent duty. Civil society organisations and independent experts had been saying for a decade that Prevent was discriminatory and...

Our Submissions to the United Nations

Prevent Watch Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education (2025)

Prevent Watch Submission to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racism and Discrimination (2024)

Prevent Watch Submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (2024)

Recent Reports

Browse more Reports on Prevent here

Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law: Final report of the Independent Commission on Counter-Terrorism Law, Policy and Practice

1 November 2025

The Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law is pleased to announce the publication of the final report of the Independent Commission on Counter-Terrorism Law, Policy and Practice, chaired by the Rt Hon Sir Declan Morgan KC PC, former Lord Chief...

CRIN report counter terrorism and children's rights

CRIN: To Protect or Punish? Children, counter-terrorism and the criminal justice system

15 September 2025

CRIN’s latest report shows how all stages of the UK’s counter-terrorism system threaten children’s rights in chilling ways. From pre-criminal, to pre-trial, to trial and sentencing, we need reforms and approaches that genuinely...

united nations cautions against prevent in schools

UN Special Rapporteur cautions against Prevent in schools in report on children’s right to a safe education

1 July 2025

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has released the advanced edited version of their report into children’s right to be safe in education, including a paragraph relating to Prevent in schools that drew from a submission...

The People’s Review of Prevent is an extraordinary document and underscores the tremendously vibrant civil society in the United Kingdom. It stands as a testament to the courage of the people to share their experiences. It demonstrates the power of aggregating these cases to reveal systemic issues, rather than isolated incidents”.

Interview with Fionnuala Ni Aolain,

UN Special Rapporteur

Relevant Statements and Briefs

Explore more in our Statements and Briefs archives

PRESS RELEASE: UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination grades UK response on Prevent ‘unsatisfactory’

9 September 2026

London – The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has formally assessed the UK Government’s response to its 2024 recommendations on the Prevent duty as “unsatisfactory”, in a letter to the...

Picture of man with a laptop for statement on Home Affairs Select Committee report on New Forms of Extremism

Response: Home Affairs Select Committee report on New Forms of Extremism

22 April 2026

Last month the Home Affairs Select Committee published its report on New Forms of Extremism, and concluded that Prevent is not fit for purpose. This reflects Prevent Watch’s concerns, which we set out in our written evidence to the...

Notable Journal Articles

Browse more Journal Articles on Prevent here

Where is Palestine in Critical Terrorism Studies? A roundtable conversation

12 June 2024

The journal Critical Studies on Terrorism has published a paper including the subject of how Prevent targets activity related to Palestine and Palestinians. Prevent Watch contributed expertise and cases...

Embodying the inquiry: disaster, affectivity, and the localised politics of security

30 August 2023

Through an approach of embodying the inquiry, this journal article investigates the scope, recommendations, and forensic investigation of the Manchester Arena Inquiry, and the way it places further responsibility for security on civil...

The psychologisation of counter-extremism: unpacking Prevent

9 October 2020

The "psychologisation of counter-extremism" is happening apace; this 2020 journal article argues that this is to evade the charge of racism in managing Muslim political agency. ...

Notable Journal Articles

The Psychologisation of Counter-Extremism: Unpacking Prevent

Securitisation, ‘Fundamental British Values’ & Neutralising Muslim Dissent

The Rise and Restraint of the Preventive State

Browse more in our Journal Articles archives

Prevent in the Arts

Browse more about Prevent in the Arts here

due regard documentary harms of prevent four families uk

Prevent in the Arts

‘Due Regard’ documentary film reveals the harms of Prevent on four families

Riotously funny play ‘Liberation Squares’ takes on Prevent surveillance

Birmingham Museums Purchases Street Art Challenging Prevent

Browse more in our section about Prevent in the Arts

Important Reads

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Resources on Prevent