NTT Child Protection Agency Partners with Densus 88 to Handle Six Children Exposed to Radicalism
Six children in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) have been exposed to radical ideologies. In response, the Regional Technical Implementation Unit for the Protection of Women and Children (UPTD PPA) of NTT is collaborating with the National Police’s Densus 88 counter-terrorism unit to provide assistance and counselling.
Head of UPTD PPA NTT, Jenny Widayati, stated that her team has conducted outreach to the six children since they came to the UPTD PPA office. "Yesterday, we conducted outreach to them when they came to our office. We have also provided counselling to these children and continue to monitor them in cooperation with Densus 88," Jenny explained in Kupang on Friday (24/7/2026).
Jenny noted that the number of children identified so far remains at six. She believes there is no indication yet that the case is an iceberg phenomenon. "For now, only six children have been reported. I don’t think it has gone that far. That is our assessment so far. But we do not know what data Densus 88 holds," Jenny added.
It is suspected that the exposure began through online gaming. Jenny explained that, based on the assistance provided, the children are thought to have been initially exposed through interactions in online games. One of the games mentioned was Roblox. According to her, the children were subsequently invited to join WhatsApp chat groups from the game.
"They were exposed to radicalism primarily through games. For example, from the game Roblox. Because the children were interested, a community began to pull them into WhatsApp groups," she explained.
Within these groups, Jenny said, the children were allegedly taught dangerous things. "In that group, they were taught how to assemble bombs, along with tutorials on suicide, murder, and violence," Jenny revealed.
To prevent similar cases, UPTD PPA NTT and Densus 88 are continuously strengthening education for students and the public. "For our part, we conduct outreach at universities and schools that are holding student orientation programmes, regarding prevention efforts. We always include this whenever there are activities related to children," Jenny stressed.
Jenny also urged parents and schools to more closely supervise children’s online activities. The aim is to prevent them from becoming recruitment targets for radical groups. "We hope for collaboration between parents and teachers to monitor children when they access online activities," she concluded.