At that time (when I was the mayor of Surabaya City), the alumni of several SMPs (junior high schools) and SMAs (senior high schools) came to the schools and influenced (the spread of terrorism and extremism to) the students.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini underscored the importance of preemptive measures to prevent children from committing terrorism and extreme violence, for which she urged the local governments to actively ward off radicalism in their regions.

"Because through prevention, we can educate the children, so that they will not attempt to commit acts of terrorism,” Rismaharini noted in a statement released on the Social Affairs Ministry’s site on Wednesday.

The minister said that during her term as mayor of Surabaya City in East Java Province in 2010-2020, she had established the terrorism victim and perpetrator handling team.

In addition to the local government, the family and surrounding community are expected to assist in overseeing the children and preventing them from committing acts of terrorism and extreme violence, she stressed.

Rismaharini assessed that the teachings of a child's parents and teachers highly influence his or her behavior and mindset.

Hence, the minister has suggested establishing cooperation with the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry as well as the Religious Affairs Ministry to prevent the spread of radicalism in children through school activities.

“At that time (when I was the mayor of Surabaya City), the alumni of several SMPs (junior high schools) and SMAs (senior high schools) came to the schools and influenced (the spread of terrorism and extremism to) the students,” she pointed out.

To prevent the further spread of radicalism, the minister has prohibited schools from conducting any activities on Saturdays and Sundays.

The minister also deployed sub-district and village officers to monitor school activities every Friday.

The Indonesian government and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have been collaborating since 2018 to handle children associated with terrorist and extremist groups.

The attempt aligns with the government’s priorities stated in Pillar 1 of the 2020-2024 National Action Plan on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Terrorism (RAN PE).

The Social Affairs Ministry provides social rehabilitation services for families and children exposed to low to moderate radicalism.

The services include provision of basic need assistance, comprehensive medical check-up, psychosocial and spiritual rehabilitation, vocational and entrepreneurship training, as well as education support.

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Translator: Devi Ramadhan, Uyu Liman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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