Terrorists are not always adult humans. Many of the terrorists who act are children, early adolescents, or early adults. More profoundly, in the context of Indonesia, for example, it is stated in Law (UU) Number 35 of 2014 Article 1, paragraph 1, which reads, “A child is a person who is not yet 18 (eighteen) years old, including a child who is still in the womb”. In addition, according to the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers (CSC), as reported by Amnesty International (2021), child terrorists are those who are included in the use of child services to become members of the armed forces, usually non-government, also known as child soldiers who are tasked with participating in both combat, logistics and support, to domestic and even sexual services.
The involvement of children in terrorism indeed contains an element of coercion, with many threats for them if they refuse to join. There are many factors of children being affiliated with terrorist groups or extremist movements based on violence. Some are family, ideology, religion, or even economics, especially in fragile states (Darden, 2019; World Bank, 2020; Bourekba, 2020). Various ideas of radicalism and terrorism that parents or other external hazards, such as technology, continue to give to their children certainly affect their growth and development to shape a child’s outlook on life, as Alava et al. argued (2017). Then, content should be regulated strictly to counter radicalism, like South Korea did when the Korean Government sponsored the Knowledge Sharing Platform launch, as Amb stated. Cho Hyun, reported by the United Nations (2019).
Further, child terrorism is a worrying phenomenon in which children are involved in or manipulated to commit acts of violence. This frequently happens in conflict zones or under the influence of radical ideas. Like the main plot in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (2003), as explained by Charlie B. (2014) and Cliffs Notes (N.D.), a child is captive in a terrorist environment, utilised as an entertainer for the group. An evacuation effort was conducted to save the captive child from the terrorist group.
In the novel, the protagonist, Amir, observes the tragic fate of his childhood buddy Hassan, who is sexually molested by Assef, a friend of Amir’s father. Assef, a violent and fanatical character, bears a profound hatred for Hassan’s ethnic group, the Pashtuns. When Hassan protects Amir against Assef’s bullying, Assef rapes him. This horrible episode is a striking example of child abuse and exploitation, showing children’s vulnerability in conflict-ridden situations.
After the evacuation, the child’s relative also made a reintegration effort. As tough as it can be, the child feels awkward and stranded in the free world even after being evacuated and not precisely classified as a terrorist in captivity back then. A reintegration effort for “terrorised” children can be very tricky. As a country that is devastated by war and criminals, including terrorism, children become as fragile as broken glass. Children are powerless victims of every choice that adults have made, yet children, as well as other human beings, just have similar rights to live.
The novel delves into the consequences of child abuse and exploitation. Hassan’s ordeal causes deep psychological scars, culminating in his terrible death. The tragedy also significantly influences Amir, who is plagued by guilt and regret about his inaction. “The Kite Runner” is a stunning reminder of the devastation caused by child terrorists and the significance of shielding children from such horrors. With the influence of such a large radicalism, there is a need for intensive actions or approaches to prevent the involvement of children as terrorists, and that is the purpose of a reintegration effort. The reintegration process will be a long and complex process that shows how beneficiaries (soldiers/child terrorists) prepare themselves to return to society with increased independence in terms of economy, family resilience, and social skills, as argued Parry, Khoshnaw, and O’Neil (2022), UNODC(2017), UN Children and Armed Conflict (2018), Global Coalition for Reintegration of Child Soldiers (2021), and Cook and Schneider (2024).
In addition to the family, as stated by BNPT (2024) and Kemensos RI (2020), the first circle in the prevention movement, other integral factors in the reintegration effort are education and social justice for the children of the fragile groups. Children in an inter-identity conflict per se, or a condition where a child becomes radical not because he grew up in a radical family. Still, he had no choice when a conflict occurred in a place and made people radical; he was more vulnerable than other children because the reality that they learned was different from that of other children. Moreover, the most important thing is the stigma that grows in society. Furthermore, children who come from former terrorists or have been involved in extremist activities, in this case, children, are considered victims because the stigma that arises then makes children not get their rights, even though the fact is that the stigma is a significant factor that encourages children to engage in extremist activities.
Andhika Chrisnayudhanto of BNPT RI (2022) explained that the state always tries to understand how complex the problem of children associated with terrorist groups and violent extremists is. Therefore, in the Indonesian context, the state tries to encourage stakeholders to use a comprehensive and appropriate approach to addressing this problem, like the Penta-Helix scheme, where the government and all stakeholders, such as educators and lawmakers, will try to rehabilitate and reintegrate, through many means. Later, as explained by Setneg RI (2023), terrorist groups have exploited children for criminal purposes. Children who have experienced violence in such a way find it difficult to grow up properly. We as a society must take responsibility because they are victims. Rehabilitation and reintegration are essential priorities, of course, in this aspect, no matter what, even though the best formula to reintegrate child terrorists can vary according to cases.
References
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