BNPT steps up efforts to prevent radicalisation among young people

Bandarlampung (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT) is stepping up efforts to prevent radicalisation among young people by promoting literacy, education and national-awareness programmes in schools.

“These efforts are part of Indonesia’s counter-terrorism prevention strategy, particularly to anticipate the spread of radical ideas through digital spaces, which can readily reach young people,” BNPT Head Eddy Hartono said in Bandarlampung on Wednesday.

He said Indonesia had a strong legal and institutional framework to support counter-terrorism efforts, including Law No. 5 of 2018 on the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Terrorism.

“Nationally, Indonesia is in a state of controlled alert. This means the threat exists, but is under control because the state is present,” he said.

Prevention, he said, was being pursued through two main approaches: deradicalisation for groups already exposed to radical ideas, and mitigation to prevent those ideas from spreading, particularly among young people.

Deradicalisation interventions had been carried out among targeted groups, he said. Mitigation efforts, meanwhile, focused on strengthening national understanding through outreach, literacy initiatives and education, especially for lower-secondary pupils and their equivalents.

The national-awareness programme is planned to reach schools with the involvement of various stakeholders, including regional governments and youth organisations, he said.