Human Rights Watch: At Least 1,500 Children Recruited by Armed Groups in Colombia Since 2021

Human Rights Watch said in a report published Monday that at least 1,500 children have been recruited by armed groups in Colombia since 2021, citing data from Colombia’s Ombudsperson Office that it reviewed, and that reported cases have risen sharply since 2023 as social media becomes a more important tool for luring children.

The 102-page report, titled “I Thought I’d Never See My Mom Again: Recruitment and Use of Children by Colombian Armed Groups,” says dissident groups that emerged from the demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, account for the majority of recent reported cases. It says Cauca department accounts for nearly 57% of reported national cases, Indigenous children make up nearly half of reported cases despite Indigenous people being about 4% of Colombia’s population, and more than 30% of reported cases involved children ages 10 to 14. Under international law, the recruitment or use of children younger than 15 in hostilities can constitute a war crime.

“Armed groups in Colombia are recruiting children with impunity, as protection systems are failing, and social media platforms have become a more effective recruiting ground. Every child recruited is indicative of a government failure,” Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, said in the group’s release.

Human Rights Watch said it based its findings on 184 interviews and a review of 72 social media accounts and 41 posts. The group said armed organizations exploit poverty, social exclusion, domestic violence and barriers to education to recruit children. It documented recruitment through civilian intermediaries who were paid up to $1,000 per child, deceptive job offers, and outreach in rural schools, including boarding schools.

The report said recruited children are used as fighters, messengers, intelligence gatherers, drug traffickers, medical support workers and bodyguards. Girls, it said, face a particular risk of sexual violence.

Human Rights Watch said Facebook and TikTok, along with chat forums and private messaging services, are increasingly used to glorify life in armed groups, circulate supposed job offers and contact children directly. In some cases, the group said, platform algorithms appeared to amplify that content.

Human Rights Watch said it contacted Meta, Facebook’s parent company, and ByteDance, which owns TikTok. According to the group, both companies said their policies prohibit content promoting violent organizations, and both said they removed profiles that Human Rights Watch had flagged.

The report also sharply criticized Colombia’s state response. Human Rights Watch said the country’s 2018 national policy to prevent child recruitment is outdated and lacks a clear action plan and dedicated budget. It said CIPRUNNA, the interagency body tasked with coordinating prevention efforts, lacks the enforcement power and resources needed to make policy effective at the local level, while many municipal governments do not have enough money or staff to protect children at risk.

Human Rights Watch also said children released from armed groups are treated unequally depending on how the state classifies the armed group involved. Some enter a specialized reintegration program and may qualify for reparations, while others may not, the report said.

On accountability, Human Rights Watch said Colombia’s justice system has produced few results. Over the past decade, about 1% of criminal complaints related to child recruitment led to an investigation and 0.2% led to a conviction, the group said, with most convictions involving low-level perpetrators.

The findings add to broader warnings that the problem is worsening. In February, UNICEF said U.N.-verified recruitment and use of children in Colombia had risen about 300% over five years.

“Children in Colombia are not just caught in the crossfire - they have been actively recruited or used by armed groups for years. The impact on them and their families has been devastating … Urgent action is needed to protect children from recruitment and use, sexual violence, and other grave violations…,” Tanya Chapuisat, UNICEF’s representative in Colombia, said on Feb. 12.

Human Rights Watch urged the administration of President Abelardo de la Espriella, who was inaugurated Aug. 7, to adopt a comprehensive security and justice policy and direct more resources to child-protection agencies, especially at the municipal level.