When I first had the honour of visiting Palestine many years ago, a friend told me very clearly to speak about what we, as guests, had witnessed and to never stop talking about Palestine when we return to our homes.
At the time, this seemed like something that was self-evident, and more than that, a duty on those of us who had the privilege of free speech.
But as a case worker at Prevent Watch we are now seeing how these rights are being eroded, especially when it comes to speaking about Palestine.
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More than that, some parents are now questioning if Palestine is something our children can talk about?
This became an even more urgent question after October 7th. One of the first parents I spoke to at the time was a father of a 10-year-old boy, Isa*, who had written an essay about Palestine at school.
It is difficult for any parent to get an urgent call from their child’s school telling them to come in. The first thought is that something has happened to your child.
This is what Isa’s parents thought – and something had happened, but not in the way they imagined.
To their shock and disbelief, they were told that the school was concerned about an essay Isa had written on Palestine, and that they wanted to refer him to Prevent for it.
We know that Prevent is part of counter terrorism, so while the case was ultimately closed and Isa’s dad recently shared with us advice on getting his data removed from various databases related to Prevent, Isa was left feeling that he had done something very wrong.
This child, feeling such genuine empathy and worry for children suffering across the world, was now at 10 years old made to question himself.
I have spoken to many parents whose children have felt deeply for the children in Gaza and who have been, for lack of a better word, punished for vocalising their concern.
It is particularly difficult in the case of children with autism. We have recorded cases where children with autism have been referred to Prevent, and this includes autistic children expressing support for Palestine.
These children have been viewed as being ‘confused’, or as not having ‘the right information’ about Palestine, in other words, their concerns have been negated and criminalised simply because of their autism.
The politicisation of Palestine means that children have their voices and opinions taken from them, and securitised, because that is what government Prevent training and guidance essentially tells schools to do.
And we have seen how many schools have followed this without question.
Schools may say that Prevent training expects them to act as ‘’the eyes and ears for’’ for counter-terrorism and the Home Office.
They will also repeat that Prevent is “no different from any other form of safeguarding”. But isn’t it very different from safeguarding?
As former Home Secretary Suella Braverman herself said not too long ago, Prevent is not a social service, it is a security service.
Safeguarding should be about acting with the best interests of the child at all times, and this includes protecting their safety at school, where safety means being free to express their opinions and identity in a supportive, not a criminalising environment
At Prevent Watch, we continuously question where the best interest of the child falls in Prevent.
If we are to pay heed to the Home Office annual statistics, children repeatedly form the bulk of Prevent referrals while 80-90 % of these referrals are either signposted elsewhere or closed with no further action.
These statistics also do not reflect the impact that a referral has on a child and their family even when the case is closed – the impact of the closed case is entirely lost in the official jargon that uses statistics to justify Prevent.
The almost 800 cases we have supported to date, as well as our two recent UN submissions, are evidence of how children’s best interests are not at the heart of Prevent.
Recently the Security Minister Dan Jarvis said that ‘’we will leave no stone unturned to ensure that Prevent is fit for purpose’’.
The Security Minister, like those before him, has failed to recognise that when children are paying the price for security ambitions, then that policy will never be fit for purpose.
A referral impacts the parents almost as much as it impacts the child. Many parents have talked about having a great relationship with the school before their child was referred to Prevent.
It also impacts trust between parents and teachers. I remember very clearly a mother telling me how, a few years after her son’ Prevent referral, she had now told her children not to tell their teachers if they experienced any Islamophobia or bullying. Her difficult experience with Prevent had left her unable to trust schools at all.
Many parents describe the referral process as an isolating and difficult one, where teachers are vague about timelines and details, and this means endless painful days of waiting without any support from the schools.
Those impacted by Prevent are often made to feel powerless and alone.
However, through all this, as a caseworker, I have witnessed how so many people display such courage as soon as they know there are steps they can take to push back against Prevent assumptions.
Knowledge is power. Over the last 10 years, these people have shared their stories of perseverance and steadfastness with us.
As someone who was dismissed from their post for expressing support for the people in Gaza said, “They do not know how patient I am.”
You can read more Prevent Watch cases here.
While Prevent is in many ways worse now than it was before, there is also significant movement taking place to challenge Prevent.
The tide has been changing in the last few years, most recently with the UN calling for the suspension of Prevent. The call to end Prevent is no longer the call of a few; it has become a unified front.
This has been made possible in no small part by those who have bravely shared their stories as inspiration and encouragement for others.
Prevent Watch will continue to support individuals, families and children who have been impacted by Prevent and we will continue to challenge the structure that criminalises any child and anyone for standing against injustice.
Please donate now to keep Prevent Watch going – we are entirely funded by you!
*Names have been changed
