"In spring last year, Ana's* friends began to disappear. Members of an armed group had begun recruiting children in her village in Colombia's north-west region of Norte de Santander, promising them food, money, mobile phones and motorcycles. They began taking all of the young people, the boys and the girls, my friends from school. I was so scared, I had to shut myself away, says Ana, then 14."
"In remote and marginalised rural parts of the country, communities are more vulnerable to pressure from armed groups, who are luring children away through bribes and coercion. Documented cases of child recruitment into armed groups rose from a few dozen in 2021 to more than 600 in 2024, according to figures from a government watchdog. It is a figure experts say vastly underestimates the real toll as many families stay silent, afraid of the consequences if they speak out."
"They started driving around, going house to house. They were watching us, Ana says. One of my classmates who had enlisted began harassing me, telling me I had to join. After school they would follow me home. When a boyfriend of Ana's friend enlisted, the girl ended the relationship. He later returned with his new comrades. They tied her up and took her, says Ana."
Armed groups in Colombia's Norte de Santander have increased recruitment of children, offering food, money, mobile phones and motorcycles. Recruitment targets remote, marginalized rural communities where control of coca fields, illegal mining and arms routes is contested. Documented child recruitment cases rose from a few dozen in 2021 to more than 600 in 2024, though government figures likely understate the true scale as families often remain silent out of fear. Recruited youth become foot soldiers or return as informants to coerce others. Threats, harassment, house-to-house enlistment, and abduction have forced children to stop schooling, hide, or flee with relatives.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]