Mobilising and demobilising child soldiers in Colombia
Between civil war and demilitarization, between the chaos of guerrilla warfare and peace, child soldiers are a crucial topic that have been challenging the future and the reconstruction after the 2016 Peace Accords.
SARA MESHESHA —HALLEZ
The context in Colombia, marked by civil war and the fight between paramilitary groups, particularly, the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) and the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC), has created a complex and unsteady environment. FARC, regarded as terrorists by many Colombians and Occidental countries, present themselves as the defendants of rural people ignored by political authorities. The recruitment of child soldiers, which started in the 90s, has raised major concerns, as it challenges the innocence and the future of these minors, who represent the future generation of Colombian adults.
There are many issues surrounding child soldiers. We will further develop here the link between their recruitment and challenges related to their demilitarization and Peace Accords. According to UNICEF, “child soldier” refers to any person below 18 years of age who is or who has been recruited or used by an armed force or armed group in any capacity, including but not limited to children, boys, and girls, used as fighters, cooks, porters, spies or for sexual purposes.
Even though 81% of the children declare that they have been voluntarily enrolled, forced recruitments have also been reported. The reasons to voluntarily enrol are living in a combat zone, being separated from their families and poverty. Recruitment offers the seeming opportunity to get away from poverty but, once enrolled, children are trapped, incapable to leave without risking losing their lives.
The average age of recruitment in 2012 was of 12.1 years, with 69% of the children enrolled under the age of 15. Girls are also a meaningful proportion, as they represent the 50% of the paramilitary groups. They sometimes enrol because of the desire to emancipate and to be empowered in the context of family and sexual abuse at home. Despite this perception of equality, they can be raped or sexually assaulted, often by adult commanders. Even though child recruitment was considered a war crime in 2002, between 2002 and 2020, more than 14.200 children have been recruited. Of that number, only 5.503 have been demobilised, which highlights the persisting challenges
The lack of infrastructure, education and social connections pushes children to enrol. This raises the question of whether there has been a drop in enrolment years after the Peace Accords. The program “Programa Camino Diferencial de Vida", created in 2017, aims to guarantee the tools needed to rebuild their lives to minors who are no longer at FARC. The demobilisation process involves four steps, being the first the exit and the last, the social inclusion process. Despite that, FARC members involved in the recruitment of minors do not benefit from amnesty. Demilitarisation, demobilisation, and reintegration were foreseen as part of the 2016 Peace Accords, with a commitment to end the recruitment of minors and to free the camps from children under the age of 15.
The Colombian context of last decades has created an ambiguous perception of children, who are regarded as victims manipulated by military groups and as a threat due to the risk of re-recruitment. Enabling children to participle in politics could also encourage positive and proactive engagement in their lives, but Peace Accords and demobilisation are insufficient if there are no real opportunities for reconstruction. The crucial issue is the funding and sustainability of reconstruction institutions to ensure the future of veterans.
Translated by Isabel García Aguilar
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