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Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Monday that armed groups in Colombia have increased the recruitment of children, citing what it described as an ineffective government response to the growing problem.
In a report titled “I Thought I’d Never See My Mom Again’: Recruitment and Use of Children by Colombian Armed Groups,” HRW examined the factors that place children at risk of recruitment and the methods armed groups use to recruit them. The report also examined the use of social media platforms, including Facebook and TikTok, to promote armed group membership and encourage children to join.
HRW highlighted that 1,500 children have been recruited by armed groups in Colombia since 2021, with official figures indicating a sharp increase since 2023. The rights group noted that dissident armed groups are responsible for most of the reported cases, and that over half the cases have occurred in the state of Cauca.
The report also found that indigenous communities have been disproportionately affected, accounting for nearly half of reported recruitment cases despite comprising approximately four percent of Colombia’s population. More than 30 percent of reported cases involved children between the ages of 10 and 14. Under international law, the recruitment of children under 15 by armed groups may constitute a war crime.
Researchers have also reviewed more than 70 accounts and 40 social media posts that glorified armed group membership and encouraged users to join.
Human rights organizations have called on the administration of President Abelardo de la Espriella to implement a comprehensive security and justice policy to address child recruitment. HRW also urged the government to provide sufficient resources and personnel to agencies responsible for combating recruitment, particularly at the municipal level.
Tanya Chapuisat, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Colombia representative, has similarly called for increased protection for children from recruitment and use by armed groups, sexual violence and other grave violations. Chapuisat also emphasized the need to protect children from the effects of traumatic events that can have lifelong consequences and called for greater coordination among government agencies.
“Stopping child recruitment will demand much more than just soldiers on the ground,” said HRW Americas Director Juanita Goebertus. “Children at risk of being recruited urgently need opportunities to study and make a living.”
The post Child recruitment by armed groups surges in Colombia, rights group reports appeared first on JURIST - News.
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In a report titled “I Thought I’d Never See My Mom Again’: Recruitment and Use of Children by Colombian Armed Groups,” HRW examined the factors that place children at risk of recruitment and the methods armed groups use to recruit them. The report also examined the use of social media platforms, including Facebook and TikTok, to promote armed group membership and encourage children to join.
HRW highlighted that 1,500 children have been recruited by armed groups in Colombia since 2021, with official figures indicating a sharp increase since 2023. The rights group noted that dissident armed groups are responsible for most of the reported cases, and that over half the cases have occurred in the state of Cauca.
The report also found that indigenous communities have been disproportionately affected, accounting for nearly half of reported recruitment cases despite comprising approximately four percent of Colombia’s population. More than 30 percent of reported cases involved children between the ages of 10 and 14. Under international law, the recruitment of children under 15 by armed groups may constitute a war crime.
Researchers have also reviewed more than 70 accounts and 40 social media posts that glorified armed group membership and encouraged users to join.
Human rights organizations have called on the administration of President Abelardo de la Espriella to implement a comprehensive security and justice policy to address child recruitment. HRW also urged the government to provide sufficient resources and personnel to agencies responsible for combating recruitment, particularly at the municipal level.
Tanya Chapuisat, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Colombia representative, has similarly called for increased protection for children from recruitment and use by armed groups, sexual violence and other grave violations. Chapuisat also emphasized the need to protect children from the effects of traumatic events that can have lifelong consequences and called for greater coordination among government agencies.
“Stopping child recruitment will demand much more than just soldiers on the ground,” said HRW Americas Director Juanita Goebertus. “Children at risk of being recruited urgently need opportunities to study and make a living.”
The post Child recruitment by armed groups surges in Colombia, rights group reports appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.