Bali, Indonesia — From May 29 to 31, 2024, Indonesia’s National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) jointly organized a cross-regional event to promote children’s resilienceto recruitment and exploitation by terrorist groups.
Urgent action requiredto protect children from terrorist tactics
Across the Indo-Pacific region, countries are facing the challengesof child associationwith terrorist groups. Children may be recruited at home, targeted online or follow their families to third countries. Regardless of the different circumstances, once associated with these groups, children are exposed to extreme violence and even death. The stigma and victimization faced by these children extend beyond their exit from the groups. Rejection by communities and even their own families make promoting reintegration into societya challenging task.
The event brought together experts, policymakers, and practitioners from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Maldives and the Philippines to discuss approaches, share experience and highlight the importance of this issue on the global and regional agenda.
"Children play a crucial role in fostering inclusiveness, dialogue, and peace,” said Harsha Sirur, First Secretary at the Canadian Embassy in Indonesia. “Their safety is our collective responsibility. By ensuring that they can thrive and express themselves, we diminish the breeding ground for terrorism.”
Strengthening Resilience in Rehabilitation and Reintegration Strategies
Theexpertsdiscussed recruitment strategies that specifically target children, emphasizingheightenedvulnerability in onlinespaces where families and educators are unprepared to protect them. The importance of comprehensive rehabilitation and reintegration strategies that are grounded inchild rights and community-based efforts was stressed to ensure thatchildren are supported to cope with the effects of trauma; and that resilience is nurtured.
Indonesia shared the positive results of work carried out in partnership with UNODC: “In Indonesia, we have made rehabilitating and reintegrating of these children a priority to break the cycle of violence,” said Major General Roedy Widodo, Deputy Head of Prevention, Protection, and Deradicalization (BNPT). “We see that over time these children improve and so do their relationships with their families and communities: When these children receive support, they recover,” added a representative from the Ministry of Social Affairs of Indonesia.
UNODC: Moving the Agenda Forward
UNODC has played a crucial role in preventing and responding to violence against children by terrorist groups. Since 2015, the UNODC End Violence against Children team has provided technical assistance toover 35 countries facing this phenomenon. A comprehensive training toolkit supports policymakers and practitioners in prevention, rehabilitation, and justice for children affected. The recently publishedstudy "Targeted by Terrorists: Child Recruitment, Exploitation, and Reintegration in Indonesia, Iraq, and Nigeria," has generated more knowledge about this complex subject, thereby supporting evidence-based and child-focused interventions.
A roadmap for Future Cooperation: The 2024 Bali Conclusions
The 2024 Bali Conclusions are aligned to the draft resolution “Treatment of children associated with terrorist groups, including children who are recruited and exploited by those groups”. The resolution, which was recommendedfor adoption by 33rd session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, recognizes that it is the primary responsibility of States to protect children from the threats associated with terrorism, and calls on the UNODC to convene an intergovernmental expert group meeting to develop principles and guidelines.
The 2024 BaliConclusions are an important steptowards strengthening shared approaches to ending childassociation of children with terrorist groups through coherent,comprehensive action. Theyunderscore the power of collaboration and mutual learning in developing effective strategies, as well as the leadership of the Government of Indonesia in bringing this issue to the forefront of the global agenda.
The insights and commitments gained during these three days will serve as a foundation for continued efforts to ensure the protection and well-being of children in insecurity contexts.
2023 - 2030 Strategy to End Violence Against Children - OSRSG-VAC and UNODC
2023 - 2024 Action Plan to End Violence Against Children
For further information please contact:
Mersiha Causevic Podzic
Communications Officer
mersiha.causevicpodzic[at]un.org
