Double Burden Borne by Children of Terror Convicts

Apart from dealing with psychological consequences, children of terror convicts also face economic problems. They also have to deal with stigma, which can hinder their return to society in the long term.

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

Residents of various religious backgrounds pray together by lighting candles during the Reflection on the Event of Faith on 13 May 2018 at the Santa Maria Tak Bercela Catholic Church, Surabaya, Monday (13/5/2019). Exactly a year ago the church was one of three churches targeted by terrorists.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Children of terror convicts bear a double burden. They not only struggle to live without their parents, but some also face stigmatization, which can make it difficult for them in society.

On the one hand, the state has not optimized rehabilitation efforts. On the other, without adequate treatment, exposure to extreme ideologies and psychological trauma can lead them to becoming perpetrators of terrorism.

FR (13), the son of a high-ranking member of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), the terror group that was involved in the March 2021 suicide bombing at the gate of Makassar Cathedral in South Sulawesi, is traumatized. After witnessing his father killed in a shootout and his mother arrested by the police in April 2021, he continued to live with his siblings in a house that had been the center of JAD’s activities for years.

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The house, located in the Villa Mutiara complex in the city of Makassar, looked unkempt when Kompas visited on Thursday (2/2/2023). A repetitive beeping could be heard from the electricity meter, indicating that the power would soon be cut off.

The front yard was filled with stacks of animal cages. Inside the house were two rooms, a laundry room and the other for storing furniture, electronic devices, toys and even an unused motorcycle.

Water dripped from the leaking kitchen ceiling. There was a strong smell of urine, especially in the living room and kitchen, where the family cat relieves itself. “Everything will be cleaned when mom comes home, [released from prison] in two or three months,” said FR.

FR and his two siblings have no source of income after their parents left them. Even though O, FR’s 20-year-old sibling, has begun informal work, they still rely on basic food assistance the police provide every month. Their neighbors occasionally give them money. “We’re also given pocket money from our aunt, usually Rp 5,000,” said FR.

RENY SRI AYU ARMAN

Location of the raid on the JAD (Jamaah Ansharut Daulah) group's house in Villa Mutiara, Makassar, Wednesday (6/1/2021). The police put up a police line at the entrance to this house

Though they have lived in Villa Mutiara for years, their neighbors initially objected to FR and his siblings continuing to live there. However, the National Police’s counterterrorism squad, Densus 88, assured the other residents that the police would continue to assist all families connected to the terror network at Villa Mutiara. “The police also helped me go to a public elementary school,” said FR.

Aside from providing assistance, Densus 88 also helps children linked to the terrorist network in Makassar to enroll at public schools. The economic burdens that plague the families of terror convicts force them to work while going to school, with some even dropping out to help support their families.

“I sell chips at Losari Beach from the afternoon, after school, until the evening,” said IS (14).

So, we don’t know how to make money.

A child of a member of the Villa Mutiara network who is currently in prison can earn Rp 50,000 in a day. However, this is not enough to meet the needs of a family of seven children. A (16), an elder sibling of IS, thus withdrew from a vocational school to work as a food delivery driver.

MR (37), the mother of IS and A, admitted that it was not easy making a living after her husband was arrested.

The men are not only the breadwinners of these families, but they also dominate their lives and the chores that require interaction with those outside their homes. The women were usually expected to stay at home every day and take care of the children.

“So, we don’t know how to make money,” said MR.

Stigmatization

Economic problems are not the only burden borne by the families of terror convicts. They also face stigmatization, which can hinder their return to society.

IM (34) and her children, who are all under 10 years old, for example, were almost evicted by residents from the area where she lived after her husband was arrested for his involvement with the Villa Mutiara network. However, she survived by making a living and bided her time until her neighbors no longer spoke of the case involving her husband.

According to data from the National Counterterrorism Agency, 1,500 terrorists were recorded in 2017-2022, and as many as 500 of them were in prison for terrorism convictions until 2018. Assuming that each terror convict has three to four children, it estimates that there are 4,000-5,000 children of terror convicts. However, there are no special regulations relating to these children. Only a handful of institutions sporadically carry out initiatives to help them.

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

The police strictly monitored the search process at the home of the YF family, suspected terrorists, in Bojong Lor Village, Jamblang District, Cirebom Regency, West Java, Monday (14/10/2019). YF is the leader of JAD (Jamaah Ansharut Daulah) in Cirebon Regency and City.

Meanwhile, these children must continue to shoulder their double burden. AM (20), for example, was unable to continue school and found it difficult to find a job after serving time for his involvement in the 2016 bombing at Eikumene Church in Samarinda municipality, East Kalimantan.

Though he was not directly involved in the incident, AM, who was then 16 years old, was convicted for foreknowledge of his father’s plans, who is still in prison. AM had no choice but to support the family, because his mother was dead.

While he was shunned by the people in his hometown of Samarinda, the local terror network still frequently contacted AM, trying to invite him back. This prompted AM to seek a new life on the island of Java.

Another former terror convict, Sofyan Tsauri, said that a structured and systematic effort was needed to break the chain of radicalism, especially among families with ties to terrorism. The state must shoulder the responsibility in resolving this.

We cannot allow these children to become like their parents.

If there was no resolution, this space would only continue to be filled with terrorists. As a result, it would become easier for children of terror convicts to be drawn in by these old groups, and then persuaded to become their successors.

Vice President Ma’ruf Amin highlighted the need for more intensive measures to deal with children of terror convicts. “We cannot allow these children to become like their parents,” the Vice President said during an interview with Kompas in early February.

According to Vice President Amin, a number of children of terror convicts had already been exposed to terrorist ideologies. He expressed his hope that counter-radicalization efforts for those who had not been exposed and deradicalization efforts for those who had been exposed would be intensified. (BOW/NIA/WKM/CAS/SYA/HAR)

This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia.