#child-recruitment

#child-recruitment

Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.

Stockholm, Sweden - It's a sunny summer morning in the historic university city of Uppsala in central Sweden. Two teenage boys glide past a plaza filled with cafes and toward the sleek glass facade of the newly renovated railway station on electric scooters, their dark tracksuits hanging loosely on their slight frames. At about 9am, the boys board a train for the three-hour journey north to the small coastal city of Sundsvall, tucked between the Baltic Sea and rolling forests of pine and birch.

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.