"Armed groups have increased their recruitment of minors under 18. Should the government be responsible for their deaths? Bogota, Colombia Eight underage rebel recruits were killed last week after the Colombian government launched a fresh military offensive against a prominent armed group, according to President Gustavo Petro. The news comes amid soaring child recruitment by Colombia's armed groups in recent years and has ignited a debate over whether forced recruits can be protected on the battlefield."
"Those deaths bring the total number of teenage fatalities to at least 12 in under two months. All of them were victims of forced recruitment by criminals who have dragged them into hostilities and deprived them of protection, Petro, himself a former rebel, wrote in his post. But the question of how to protect child recruits is a controversial one in Colombia, where armed actors have increasingly sought to exploit minors."
Eight underage rebel recruits were killed during recent Colombian government offensives, with seven killed in Guaviare on November 10 and another killed in Arauca on November 13. Those deaths raise the confirmed teenage fatalities to at least 12 within two months. All of the minors were reportedly victims of forced recruitment by criminal armed groups that drag children into hostilities and deny them protection. Official statistics and United Nations reporting show a sharp rise in child recruitment, with a government estimate of a 1,000 percent increase from 2021 to 2024 and hundreds of confirmed or alleged cases since 2022.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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