The House of Representatives on Tuesday, May 21, started its own investigation into the thousands of killings under the war on drugs, almost eight years since Rodrigo Duterte started his nationwide campaign. The probe, initiated by the House committee on human rights, aims to “seek the truth concerning the alleged extrajudicial killings” under the drug war. “Our aim is to uncover the truth,” House committee chairperson Benny Abante said. “We are not here to pass judgment, we are here to investigate and know all information in aid of legislation.” The house panel’s hearing is also in line with House Resolution 14 filed on June 30, 2022 by Kabataan Representative Raoul Manuel of the Makabayan bloc. Government data shows that at least 6,252 individuals were killed in police anti-illegal drug operations alone between July 2016 to May 2022, a month before Duterte’s term ended. This number does not include those killed vigilante-style, which human rights groups estimate to be between 27,000 and 30,000. Read more at: https://www.rappler.com/philippines/house-panel-hearing-rodrigo-duterte-drug-war-killings-icc-looms/
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.”
