UNITED NATIONS.- The Secretary General of the United Nations Organization (UN)Antonio Guterres issued an alert this Monday about the alarming increase in violence directed against children in Colombia.
A UN report, corresponding to the period between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2023, revealed a marked increase in the six most serious violations, despite a decrease in clashes between military forces and armed groups.
During this period, 615 serious violations were recorded that affected 476 minors, of which 306 were boys, 166 girls, and 4 whose gender was not identified. This number represents a 61% increase compared to the previous report.
It was highlighted that 43% of the cases affected minors belonging to indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities. Likewise, a worrying increase in violence against minors of other nationalities, mainly Ecuadorians and Venezuelans, was observed.
Armed groups are responsible
The dissident groups of the extinct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) were identified as the main responsible for these violations, followed by the National Liberation Army (ELN), the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AGC) and the Military Forces of Colombia.
The report also highlighted that the highest number of verified violations was recorded in the first six months of 2023. The UN attributed this worrying increase to the consolidation of some armed groups and the expansion of their territorial control in areas with limited state presence and high poverty rates.
During the same period, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported more than 111,000 displaced and confined minors, mainly in the departments of Nariño, Chocó and Cauca.
Recruitment continued to be the most common form of violence against children, followed by murder, mutilation, kidnapping, and sexual violence, which also experienced a significant increase.
Faced with this situation, the UN Secretary General urged the Colombian government to implement a comprehensive strategy to prevent the recruitment and use of children in armed conflicts, as well as to quickly activate an emergency response mechanism to protect minors from this increasing violence.
Source: With information from AFP
