On the morning of Sunday, May 13, 2018, worshippers at the Immaculate St. Mary Catholic Church in the Indonesian city of Surabaya were attending mass as usual when a bomb exploded, killing 28 people and injuring at least 57. 

A family of four was said to be behind the suicide bombings. It was the first time in Indonesia that children were known to be involved in an attack of this kind.

The children were naturally brought up in a very hostile environment full of hatred and negativity. The Indonesian government was forced to address that issue and realized how deradicalization needs to be an important part of the country's agenda. 

The Ministry of Social Affairs quickly created an institution or a protection place where children of terrorists can attend to get proper support and guidance. 

An institution, which requested anonymity, is helping the children that were involved in the Surabaya blast. The institution says these “children of conflict” need to be educated all over again. 

Neneng Heryani is the head of rehabilitation at the center. She says there are 170 children, most of whom were deported from Turkey after it was found they were being taken to Syria to become ISIL soldiers. 

"These children are victims of their parents' mistakes,". said Neneng in reference to the Surabaya church attacks. "We brought them here and the first thing we did was to make sure they were in proper physical health. Out of the seven children that were involved, all of them are in good condition now, except one that was injured during the attack." 

Each child is given social and mental guidance along with enhancing their individual skills and talents. A social worker works with them privately in individual counseling classes to make sure every child is given proper care based on their personal needs and depending on their personalities and characteristics. 

"When the children first arrived here, many of them had suicidal thoughts. They believed that was their jihad or holy war, an act that will bring them to heaven. But after giving them social, mental and spiritual therapy, they now understand better. We teach them to value their life and their country. Most importantly, to respect each other's religious and cultural differences," said Neneng. 

Extremism continues to be a concern in Indonesia and after the Surabaya attacks, the government has become even more wary of how quickly and easily radical ideologies can spread across the nation. 

"I think the problem is not just these terrorists are using children but that they are influencing children from the beginning. It seems the government cannot reach to deal with the issue in a strategic way. Sometimes we don't have enough resources or capacity to engage with the curriculum or school modules like homeschooling which is totally controlled by the family or even the radical community," said Taufik Andrie, an anti-terrorism expert. 

Taufik believes the only way to deradicalize the younger generation is by providing them with proper education and guidance and teaching the children that there is a better life outside the radical lives they have always known. 

And that's exactly what the institution set up by Indonesia's Social Affairs Ministry aims to do: work at eradicating extremist ideas through counseling and inspiring the younger generation to believe that they deserve a better future.