Children still being recruited

BOGOTA: Illegal armed groups are still recruiting children in Colombia, subjecting them to sexual abuse and using them as cannon fodder in armed conflict, humanitarian groups said yesterday

‘‘In Colombia the recruiting and use of minors is a common and systemic practice which changes to meet the new demands of the armed conflict,’’ Olga Silva of Humanidad Vigente, which published a report along with Oxfam and Benposta Nacion de Muchachos, said. The groups form part of the observatory for the protection of rights and welfare of children (OPROB).

Violence declined after a 2016 peace deal the Andean country signed with rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), ending that group’s part in more than five decades of conflict that killed more than 260,000 people.

The deal allowed about 13,000 former rebels to rejoin society, yet the report noted that armed groups including dissidents of Farc who rejected the accord were still recruiting children and adolescents. ‘‘Threats, false promises of better conditions, the groups’ presence in schools and the absence or weakness of the government has led to thousands of children joining the ranks of armed groups,’’ Silva said.

Last week, a report by Human Rights Watch said children as young as 12 were being recruited by armed groups in the east of the country.

According to OPROB, from 2017 to 2019 there were 311 cases of recruiting minors in five of Colombia’s 32 provinces.