- The 84% of the victims of sexual violence in the context of the armed conflict are girls and adolescents, the average age is 15 to 21 years.
- From 2016 to 2019 there were 850 violations against the rights of girls, boys and adolescents at the hands of armed groups.
- During 2019, 107 people between the ages of 12 and 17 were recruited by armed groups, 54 boys, 49 girls and 12 without identification.
A recent report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), revealed that as of May 2020 more than 1,200 million students, worldwide, had stopped attending face-to-face classes at school. Of these, more than 160 million were students from Latin America and the Caribbean.
The 2030 Agenda and SDG 4 identify children, youth, people with disabilities, those living with HIV / AIDS, the elderly, indigenous peoples, refugees, internally displaced persons and migrants (UN, 2015, para 23) as those groups whose development should be prioritized. In the region, ethnic and racial gaps in access and educational attainment are also very relevant and are associated with historical and structural exclusion and discrimination towards the Afro-descendant and indigenous population (ECLAC / UNICEF, 2019; ECLAC, 2017 and 2018). The combination of these axes of social inequality reinforces the circles of exclusion and vulnerability.
In this context, the initiative #Weaving NetworksChildhood in Latin America and the Caribbean, co-financed by the European Union, as part of the #NiñezPrimero strategy, within the framework of the Virtual Latin American Seminar: #NiñezRecruited in the COVID-19 pandemic, organized the Webinar: What is the situation of the Recruited #Niñez in Colombia and the progress of the issue in the Peace Accords?
In dialogue, the experts addressed the situation of children and the armed conflict in Colombia, presented data on the latest United Nations reports, the progress made with the signing of the Peace Agreement and the challenges that exist to eradicate this. problematic.
Hilda Molano, representative of the Coalition against the involvement of children and young people in the armed conflict in Colombia, COALICO, explained that in 2019 there were 107 people between 12 and 17 years recruited by armed groups, 54 children, 49 girls and 12 without ID; the groups that most committed this crime were: the National Liberation Army and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army. [2]
Likewise, Molano added that in the last semester of 2020, the period of confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 160 events of armed conflict were reported, of which 120 were direct effects on girls and boys.
In this regard, Marco Romero, Consultant for Human Rights and Displacement, CODHES, pointed out that non-compliance with the commitments of the peace agreement between the state and armed groups contributes to the recruitment of girls and boys; According to Romero, this agreement established to improve the living conditions of the rural area and the creation of programs to eliminate the illegal economy; but due to political issues they were not implemented, “it is important to recognize that we have a humanitarian crisis that is worsening (…) if there is no implementation of a rural reform and we return to massive spraying, all these illegal economies will perpetuate and develop with all the consequences and effects on civil society ”, he added that there are currently more than 14,000 forced displacements, 100 murdered leaders, armed strikes and violent confinements despite the pandemic.
In this regard, Juan Martín Pérez García, Coordinator of the #TejiendoRedesInfancia initiative in Latin America and the Caribbean, stressed that international regulations emphasize compliance with agreements between the state and armed groups to guarantee children's rights; for this reason, he stressed the need to follow up on these agreements. “What is happening in Colombia is also happening in several Latin American countries (…) we need to demand special protection for recruited children, demand compliance with the laws, seek that bodies such as the constitutional court can continue to establish a counterweight to political decisions- electoral or administrative processes that do not see people, mainly girls and boys, as a priority ”.
Regarding this, Consuelo Herrera, representative of the Fundación Crecando Unidos, said that the peace agreement contemplates the non-use of girls and boys, implementation of social reintegration programs with a differential approach, and the liberation of people under 18 years of age from the camps. ; Regarding the latter, he pointed out that only 124 girls and boys were released; while to date, confrontations persist between armed groups, territorial fights due to drug trafficking and the displacement of migrant children.
Similarly, Diego Prado, representative of the PLAN Foundation, revealed that the armed groups seek to recruit adolescent women between the ages of 15 and 21 to carry out community work, health services for the guerrillas or sexual services.
Regarding this last data, Prado added that the 84% of the victims of sexual violence in the context of the armed conflict are girls and adolescents. "When we talk about recruitment, we necessarily have to talk about the use and sexual abuse that girls and boys are having in the context of the conflict."
Faced with this situation, María Teresa Cuesta, Save the Children representative, underlined the importance of carrying out prevention actions such as generating community and institutional spaces to address the effects of recruitment, develop capacities in the actors involved, amplify the voices of girls and boys and guarantee the protection of children through the implementation of plans at the local, national and regional levels.
Finally, Gloria Carvalho from Alianza por la Niñez Colombiana, stated that the recruitment of girls and boys also affects the violation of other rights such as education and health; hence the need for multisectoral actions. “It is important to understand and understand the phenomenon of forced recruitment in society; in addition to community and institutional spaces as fundamental elements and the participation of girls and boys in shaping a strategy ”.
[1] Children and the armed conflict in Colombia / Report of the Secretary General / December 2019
[2] Children and armed conflict / Report of the Secretary General / June 2020
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Press contact: Verónica Morales, Regional Communication Officer / [email protected]
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#ChildhoodFirst It is a strategy that provides guidance for the care of children and adolescents in emergency situations.
#Weaving NetworksChildhood is a project co-financed by the European Union that seeks to contribute to the strengthening and consolidation of a platform for the defense of children and adolescents in 19 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of Derechos Infancia Mexico AC / #TejiendoRedesInfancia and in no case should it be considered that it reflects the views of the European Union. The video is available in HD, please request it directly.