Women and children involved in acts of terrorism are victims of terrorism ideologyJakarta (ANTARA) - The National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT) cooperates with the Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry for realizing villages free from exposure to radicalism and terrorism.
"The goal is to protect women and children from the narrations of terrorism ideology," Head of BNPT Commissioner General Boy Rafli Amar noted through a statement on Tuesday.
Women and children are groups that are vulnerable to radical terrorism. To this end, early preventive steps have to be undertaken, he stated.
The BNPT found several cases of terrorism that involved women and children. Among women, there were 14 involved in acts of terrorism, he remarked.
One of the women involved in terrorism was Zakiah Aini, who attacked the police headquarter on March 3, 2021.
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Another shocking case involved a mother and two children in acts of terror at the Diponegoro Indonesian Christian Church (GKI), East Java, in May 2018.
"Women and children involved in acts of terrorism are victims of the terrorism ideology," Amar remarked.
The international world, through the UN, still considers women and children as victims of terrorism, he stated.
However, factually speaking, they can become perpetrators. Nevertheless, women and children are truly victims of men, he emphasized.
Meanwhile, Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Bintang Puspayoga also views women and children as groups vulnerable to terrorism.
This is inseparable from the culture of patriarchy as well as information access, she pointed out.
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"We expect that through this collaboration, terrorism mitigation strategies can be realized, which include participation in the Women and Children Friendly Village Program," Puspayoga remarked.
The minister noted that there are 142 women and children-friendly villages in Indonesia.
With this cooperation, the BNPT becomes more active in creating women-friendly villages, especially in regions prone to acts of terror.
"Let us hope we would be able to realize women and children-friendly villages that are free from exposure to the radical terrorism ideology," she stated.
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Translator: M Zulfikar, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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