PHILIPPINE Journalists Ask Marcos to Back Task Force on Media Security

Posted by Asia Views | May 30, 2022 | 0 |

ManilaTimes-May 29

THE National Press Club of the Philippines (NPC) passed a special resolution calling on the incoming administration of President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to continue supporting the operation of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS). Created by virtue of Administrative Order 1 issued By President Rodrigo Duterte in October 2016, PTFoMS is tasked to look into the violations of the right to life, liberty, and security of the members of media in the Philippines. In its Special Resolution 1, the officers of the 69-year-old media organization expressed their belief that the continuation of the task force under the Marcos government will send a strong message that it is committed to upholding a free and responsible press. The NPC noted that despite its limited resources as an ad-hoc body, the task force has made a significant impact in the country’s media landscape as it is now the repository of the most authoritative and documented reports on all cases of media-related violence in the country. It further pointed out that the lack of media-related violence in the May 9 elections is a testament not only to the success of the task force but also a first in the country’s election history which is “something that we should all be proud (of).” The Publishers’ Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PAPI) echoed the same sentiment as it pointed out that the creation of such a commission will have greater opportunity to promote understanding and cooperation among stakeholders in the aspect of safety and security and in uplifting the standard of Philippine journalism. Read more at: https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/05/29/news/%20/ph-journalists-ask-marcos-to-backtask-force-on-media-security/1845410

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

PHILIPPINE Journalists Ask Marcos to Back Task Force on Media Security

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