Belgian authorities will start cooperating more closely to better share information in the fight against radicalisation and extremism among minors, announced Flemish Minister for Justice and Enforcement Zuhal Demir (N-VA).
The number of minors involved in terrorist activities is on the rise, according to recent figures from State Security and the Coordination Unit for Threat Analysis (CUTA). According to the administrator general, as many as one third of those seeking to commit acts of terrorist violence are minors. Last year, the youngest person in these files was 13 years old.
Now, the Flemish Youth Welfare Agency has signed a cooperation agreement with CUTA. “This agreement has come at the right time, given the increasing number of minors involved in such cases,” said Demir.
In absolute numbers, the number of minors involved is still limited. In the context of terror or radicalisation, seven minors currently reside in the Flemish Community Institutions – for which Demir and Flemish Minister for Welfare and Combating Poverty Caroline Gennez are jointly responsible.
“Nevertheless, the trend is definitely alarming,” Demir said. “This calls for a targeted approach to closely monitor and supervise these young people.”
Read the full story on The Brussels Times.
Related…
Exporting Prevent: The UK government’s complicity in rights-violating counter-extremism programmes in Indonesia (Report, 2024)
