19 January 2012

On 19 January 2012, a three-member delegation from the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR) of S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore visited the Centre for Conflict and Peace Studies (CAPS) and conducted a workshop on detainee rehabilitation. For the workshop, CAPS arranged an audience of Afghan General Department of Prisons and Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Program (APRP), also in attendance was the CAPS Legal Department, which is involved in acting as Defence Attorney for political prisoners in Afghanistan.

Ms. Jolene Anne R. Jerard, ICPVTR’s capacity building manager, began the workshop by giving a presentation on specific strategies of rehabilitation that have been implemented in Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Saudi Arabia as well as in other countries in the Middle East and South East Asia.Drawing on her broad experience with ideologically motivated detainees in the mentioned countries she argued that through the use of various modes of rehabilitation, great strides can be made to reintegrate these detainees back into normal society. In her examples, quantitative studies indicated that ideologically motivated detainees have a higher chance of successfully reintegrating into society.

Ms. Jerard’s presentation was followed by a lecture by research analyst at ICPVRT and a member of Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) of Singapore, Mr. Ahmad Saiful Rijal bin Hassan’s, discussing Singapore’s experience of rehabilitating ideologically motivated detainees. He highlighted the use of psychologists and well-respected religious clerics in the rehabilitation process in Singapore.

After the lectures, the audience asked a number of questions about how this strategy of rehabilitation can be implemented in Afghanistan, and expressed interest in arranging a multi-day workshop on rehabilitation in Afghanistan in the near future. After the question and answer session, a traditional Afghan meal was offered to all of the guests. During which, CAPS director, Mr. Hekmat Khalil Karzai described the role of CAPS in supporting the peace and reintegration process and its work with prisons and detention centres in Afghanistan administered by Afghan government and NATO authorities.