Assessment on Existing Economic Skills-Oriented Program for Youth in accordance to Counter Violent Extremism

It has been widely acknowledged that economic crisis may trigger increase in crime. Financial instability and unstable employment increases the risk of violence and extremism, as it could bring feelings of frustration, anger, and despair. Radical and extremist groups like ISIS see this circumstance as an effective entry point to override people’s disappointment with new notions of becoming prosper by being a jihadist fighter.

Indonesia as a developing country, with somewhat unstable economy and employment, has now faced to a new menace of radical and extremist groups who has pulled many of its young people to their side. Moreover, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (Badan Pusat Statistik/ BPS), from the total of 7 million unemployed people in Indonesia, 31.12 percent of them are youth equal to 2.3 million people. This is a risk number that Indonesia bare with on how much young people might turn to be radical and violent and threatening harmony.

Hence, it is an urgent task to reduce the number of unemployed youth as equal to prevent youth from being radicalized, by supporting youth involvement in economic chain. Entrepreneurial or self-employed perhaps could be the effective solution to either prevent violent extremism or de-radicalization for youth.

The economic empowerment program for young people has been conducted many times by the governments. But why we still witnessing violent incidents and attacks by young people, especially those who are unemployed or have financial instability. Apparently, there has not been any thorough assessment to see whether the programs they have been implementing are effective enough or can be said successful using a comprehensive measurements.

Thus, in collaboration with the Center for the Middle East and Global Peace Studies (Pusat Studi Timur Tengah dan Perdamaian Global/ PSTPG) FISIP UIN Jakarta under CONVEY project will implement a research assessment of existing economic skills-oriented program. The research also explored some ex-combatants or ex-terrorists who then transformed into an entrepreneur even establish an entrepreneurial community with hundreds of other young people.

Further findings and analysis of the research assessment can be read in the book “Ekonomi Kaum Muda dan Kebijakan Kontraterorisme” (the Young People’s Economy and Counterterrorism Policy), or the book report “Kekuatan Ekonomi dan Pencegahan Ekstremisme Kekerasan” (the Economic Power and Prevention of Violent Extremism). The research also recommend some strategic policies on how to prevent violent extremism through economic power, that can be accessed here in Bahasa, or in English version here.

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