Mira Kusumarini

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Mira Kusumarini is the founder and Director of EMPATIKU (My Empathy) Foundation, a civil society organisation focusing on mainstreaming empathy in the security and education sector addressing violent behaviour including violent extremism. In 2018, Mira was granted the N-PEACE Award from UNDP for her role in leading civil society movement to prevent violent extremism, promoting peace through dialogue and education. By working closely with ISIS affiliated children and women deportees and returnees for rehabilitation and reintegration, Mira is at the forefront of deradicalization and disengagement efforts. By building cooperation amongst civil society organisations and local governments, government ministries and institutions, the rehabilitation and reintegration model was tested applying the RR Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and Safety and Security Protocols, improved capacity of the social workers and policy advocacy to ensure sustainability. Understanding that the community plays an important role in the social reintegration and thus preventing violent extremism, Mira is currently working with local communities and local Governments to boost community resilient capacity by developing community-based early warning system. The model provides space for community members to detect and handle early cases at the community level including facilitating restorative practices as part of the social reintegration processes.

Mira Kusumarini, the founder and Director of the EMPATIKU Foundation, has been active in the social sector for the past 30 years addressing various issues in peace and security, social entrepreneurship, maternal and child health, provision of clean water and sanitation, environmental conservation and small and medium economic development. Under the Chevening Award of British Government scholarship, Mira gained a Master of Science degree in social development from the University of Swansea, Wales, England and a Bachelor Degree in English Linguistics from Padjadjaran University, Bandung.

In 2015, Mira founded EMPATIKU, a civil society organisation with a vision for generation empathy and a mission to mainstream empathy, especially in the security and education sectors as an effort to address violent behaviours including violent extremism. In 2018, Mira was awarded the N-PEACE Award from UNDP for her role in leading civil society movement to prevent violent extremism, promoting peace through dialogue and education. By working closely with children and women deportees and returnees for rehabilitation and reintegration program, Mira is at the forefront of de-radicalisation efforts.

Since 2016, Mira has led a coalition of civil society organizations (CSO) to advocate for the Counter-Terrorism Law. Various advocacy strategies are built from within the policy-making system, including building partnerships with the Parliament and MP’s Technical Advisors, submitting CSO version of the Problem Inventory List and Policy Papers Documents to Parliament Tasks Force and Faction Members. Of the eleven fundamental changes in Law no. 5 of 2018, eight of them have accommodated civil society proposals. Until now, Mira continues to advocate for policy change especially in the development of derivative legal products at the central and regional levels.

In 2017, Mira has also initiated the development of a rehabilitation and reintegration (RR) system for ISIS affiliated deportees and returnees who have been exposed to violent extremism ideology. By building cooperation amongst civil society and government institutions including the Ministry of Social Affairs, Densus 88 AT, BNPT, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Local Government, the RR model has been tested applying the RR Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and Safety and Security Protocols for social workers, and training social workers including policy advocacy activities to ensure sustainability.

Understanding that the community plays an important part in the prevention of violent extremism and in the social reintegration process of ISIS affiliated deportees and returnees, in 2018, Mira initiated an early warning system model in collaboration with the communities and local governments. The model provides space for community members to detect and handle early cases at the community level. With the increased resilience, knowledge, and robust social cohesion, society has become the front guard in preventing the spread of ideology and acts of terrorism.

Based on her experience, Mira has written books including Community-Based Early Warning System: Guidebook for Building Community Resilience to Violent Extremism (Empatiku: 2023), Practical Guidance for CSOs: Developing Academic Paper to Advocate for Gender Responsive Policy Development in Prevention of Violent Extremism and Terrorism (WGWC, 2021), Practical Guidelines for CSOs and Local Government Officers: Facilitating Social Reintegration for Individuals Already Exposed to Violent Extremism Ideology (INFID, 2020), Community Based Early Warning System Standard Operating Procedure (C-SAVE, 2020). She also contributed to international documents including Blueprint of a Rehabilitation and Reintegration Center: Guiding Principles for Rehabilitation and Reintegration Returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters and Their Family Members (Hedayah, 2020), A Handbook Children Affected by the Foreign-Fighter Phenomenon: Ensuring A Child Rights-Based Approach (UNOCT, 2020), Invisible Women: Gender Dimensions of Return, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (UNDP and ICAN, 2019).