The Education sector accounted for the highest source of people reported to the Prevent duty  

More than half (50.9%) of people reported in Wales were children aged 0-15

‘The Welsh Government can stand with and for people and communities experiencing rights violations by calling for the UK government to bring an end to Prevent ’ – Glenn Page

The latest figures on the referrals to Prevent duty show how innocent people, including high numbers of children, continue to be disproportionately targeted by the counter-terrorism programme - as revealed in the Home Office’s annual statistics published on 5 December 2024.

The latest figures show that between April 2023 and March 2024, 275 people in Wales were reported to Prevent. Of those reported, 130 were between the ages of 11 – 15 and a further 10 under the age of ten years old.   

Amnesty International’s report ‘This is the Thought Police’ outlined how Prevent violates many of our fundamental rights heading towards further damaging and discriminatory consequences for our society.

In August this year, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination condemned the Prevent duty for targeting Muslim communities. It is concerned about the “chilling effect it has on children’s freedom to express themselves and that half of the children reported under the Prevent duty are Muslim or of Asian descent.”

Trade Unions, the UN, civil society groups, teachers and academics have all criticised the Prevent duty for discriminating against Muslims, for invading people’s privacy, and for having a negative effect on our freedom of expression. 

Responding to the statistics, Glenn Page, Amnesty International UK’s Government and Political Relations Manager for Wales, said:

“The UK government’s “Prevent” duty prevents trust. It’s harrowing that the Education sector is the largest source of people reported and children younger than ten continue to be targeted.

“No matter their race, faith or background, every child should feel free and safe to be themselves at school. Children and young people need space to explore and express their thoughts and feelings. They need adults around them they can trust - who offer support, guidance and understanding. 

“The Welsh Government can support children and young people in Wales by calling on the UK Government to bring an end to Prevent. Politicians must address and repair the harms people have experienced. 

“The Prevent duty is not compliant with international human rights law and we want to see the Welsh Government join us in calling for it to be abolished once and for all.” 

Scrap the Prevent duty and address the harms it has caused

 Amnesty reiterates that the Prevent strategy does not comply with international human rights law and should be abolished.

The Prevent duty targets Muslim communities, making so many people in our communities feel fear and unable to freely and safely be themselves. 109 out of 153 Muslim people that Amnesty spoke to said they have changed their behaviour out of fear of being reported.* 

The UK government’s Prevent duty, which was forced into schools, means that more than half of people reported to the police in Wales under the Prevent duty are children under 15. These are children at a pivotal stage of their lives when they should be allowed to express themselves freely and given the space to make mistakes and get guidance and care. 

The Prevent duty pressures teachers to make rash judgements about who seems at risk of being drawn into terrorism. Teachers and social workers are making personal judgements based on their gut feelings and biases and this means nearly half of the children reported to the police under the Prevent duty are Muslim or of Asian descent.

Despite the Home Office claiming that the Prevent duty is not a criminal process, the information of people reported to the Prevent duty – even if there is no further action – are held on a Police Case Management database for a minimum of six years. For so many of the children reported, that could be their whole time at school.

The Prevent duty is forced on so many people in our communities – over five million people who we’ve entrusted with our care, like nurses, teachers, social workers, have been forced to do this training.

*all statistics from Amnesty International report.

1. UK Home Office data on prevent referrals available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/individuals-referred-to-prevent-to-march-2024