BNPT and CUTA Belgium Review Rehabilitation Center for Children Exposed to Radicalism at Handayani Center Jakarta

JAKARTA (October 16, 2023) – Social rehabilitation of children exposed to radicalism and extremism is a shared responsibility of both ministries/institutions and related cross-sectors.

Since 2016, Ministry of Social Affairs through the Technical Implementation Unit (UPT) of the "Handayani" Center in Jakarta has rehabilitated children and families exposed to radicalism in collaboration with the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT).

The Head of "Handayani" Center in Jakarta, Romal Uli Jaya Sinaga, stated that handling children exposed to radicalism uses various methods and approaches to raise awareness.

"Rehabilitation of children exposed to radicalism includes religious approaches, games, instilling discipline and so on," said Romal in a presentation when receiving a visit from a group from BNPT accompanying the Belgian Ambassador to Indonesia, and the Belgian Coordination Unit for Threat Analysis (CUTA) at Handayani Center Complex in Jakarta, Monday (16/10/2023).

Romal noted that the rehabilitation period typically ranges from 3 months to 6 months, and in some cases, can extend up to 2 years.

"Moving forward, with ongoing innovations in services for children exposed to radicalism, we aim to reduce the process to six months to assure BNPT and other related parties that they can safely reintegrate into society," said Romal.

BNPT’s Deputy for International Cooperation, Andhika Chrisnayudhanto, highlighted the longstanding collaboration between BNPT and Belgium, spanning 74 years, and expressed enthusiasm for CUTA involvement, especially in information exchange to counter radicalism and extremism.

“Handayani Center is an expert in supporting children and women affected by radicalism and terrorism in Indonesia, helping them disengage from violence and reintegrate into society,” Andhika stated.

The Belgian Ambassador to Indonesia, H.E Mr. Frank Felix welcomed the positive cooperation between Belgium, CUTA, BNPT, and the Ministry of Social Affairs through Handayani Center regarding the handling of children exposed to radicalism.

"We would like to thank Handayani Center for the warm welcome. We also appreciate the dedication of everyone working tirelessly to address radicalism and extremism. Belgium and Indonesia differ greatly in size; it takes only 2.5 hours to travel across Belgium, whereas Indonesia is incredibly vast by comparison," said Felix.

On this occasion, the BNPT team, CUTA Belgium, and the Belgian Ambassador visited and saw up close various facilities at Handayani Center for the rehabilitation of children exposed to radicalism.

The attendees including the BNPT delegation Andhika Chrisnayudhanto, Deputy for International Cooperation; Suprih Sriwinarti, Head of the Sub-Directorate of American and European Cooperation; Djaty Utoyo Utomo, Analyst; Ayudha Agung Satrya Putra, Analyst; and Uum Humairoh, Analyst.

The Belgian Embassy in Jakarta was represented by H.E. Mr. Frank Felix, Belgian Ambassador to Indonesia; Sarah Gerard, Political Officer; and Genesha Lahopre, local staff.

On the other hand, CUTA Belgium included Mr. Gert Vercauteren, Director of CUTA; Mr. Bart Thys, Head of the Strategic Analysis Department; Mr. Frank Geens, Head of International Relations; and Mr. Xavier Timmermans, Deputy Director for Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.