SMN Helpline

This helpline is an initiative and a realisation of the vision of the Alliance of Moroccan Dutch (SMN) on the prevention of radicalisation. The SMN considers it important that the Moroccan community organizes its own resilience against radicalisation and speaks openly about.

The Moroccan community at the local level plays a key role in the prevention of radicalisation. The empowerment and resilience of the local community are central to this helpline. The SMN puts key individuals and community leaders from local communities in place in order to help parents and family members, and supports them in finding a solution to radicalisation.

The telephone helpline is part of a broader approach to raise awareness about radicalisation among Moroccan Dutch and to strengthen the resilience within this community. Part of our approach is to train key individuals (community leaders) from communities and to create information campaigns in communities where the issue of radicalisation occurs. During information meetings for parents, experts provide information about how to recognize early signs of radicalisation and where they can go for help and advice. The key individuals (community leaders) are also trained to refer to professional care when this is needed. They are committed on a voluntary basis for concerned parents and family members who are dealing with radicalisation in their own network. The overall tasks of the trained key actor are providing support to concerned parents, informing them of the next steps and possible solutions, mediation and active referrals to appropriate agencies (municipal, social work, imam, psychological support) and sharing information with the local authorities and co-workers at SMN.

A general description of a situation where the help from SMN was requested: The request will be picked up by the key actor. The request usually involves • Signals and concerns about radicalising behaviour; • Indications of departure to war zones and/or armed conflicts abroad; • A child/family member has travelled to war zones/or armed conflicts abroad; • A child/family member has returned from war zone after participating in conflict and/or humanitarian mission; • A child/family member was killed in a war zone.

Parents who turn on the hotline for help, support and/or mediation will initially get to speak with the SMN. After exploring the request and the situation, a link is made with a key actor (community leader). The interventions may vary in weight. There are many requests for light interventions like lend an ear to the concerns of parents, provide them with information and advice or link them to a theologian or someone who has experienced a similar situation. More intensive requests involve references to professional care institutions and other authorities. In the latter case, the key individuals and the SMN take no steps without the written consent of the caller/parent. Any kind of intervention of the key actor occurs according the action protocol within the agreed legal framework. The premise is to secure the privacy of the caller/parents who turn to the helpline. This is also communicated with both the caller and the cooperating organisations.

Contact details:

Chakib Lamnadi
Email: c.lamnadi@smn.nl
Tel: (+31) (0)30-2367327
Postbus 14172
3508 SG Utrecht
The Netherlands