The Colombian Public Ministry reported that in the departments of Antioquia, Cauca, Caquetá, Nariño and Chocó there are reports of forced recruitment of minors by irregular groups. The entity warned that ethnic communities are highly vulnerable to being victims of these networks, since of the total number of minors recruited, 9.2% belong to indigenous groups and 6.6% are part of black, afro, raizal and palenquero communities.
The Colombian Attorney General’s Office summoned President Gustavo Petro to coordinate inter-institutional actions to combat the forced recruitment of children. The entity pointed out that to date there are 8,246 reported minor victims of this crime, according to figures from the Presidential Counsel for Human Rights and International Affairs.
Through its Web page The Attorney General’s Office asserted that the request is part of the follow-up actions of the control body to what is contemplated in the National Policy for the Prevention of Recruitment of Boys, Girls and Adolescents, as well as in Directive 10 of 2021 in which it requested effective responses in the fight against this scourge.
*Read also: OAS Mission in Colombia celebrates ceasefire announced by Petro
The Public Ministry reported that the departments most affected by the recruitment of minors are Antioquia, with 1,428 cases; Cauca, with 604; Goal, with 541; Caqueta, with 533; Nariño, with 486, and Chocó, with 429; while the municipalities that report the most complaints are Medellín, with 187, Tumaco, with 156; San Vicente del Caguan (Caquetá), with 149, and Necoclí (Antioquia), with 104.
He also warned that ethnic communities are highly vulnerable to being a victim of these networks. He specified that of the total number of minors recruited, 9.2% belong to indigenous groups and 6.6% are part of black, afro, raizal and palenquero communities.
The Colombian Attorney General’s Office urged the Presidential Counsel for Human Rights and International Affairs, the Colombian Institute for Family Welfare (ICBF) and the governments of Chocó and Valle del Cauca to adopt pertinent measures to prevent and combat this scourge.
For the Office of the Attorney General of the Nation, it is imperative to respect the life, integrity and development of children and adolescents, so that no one else is a victim of forced recruitment and the effects that this derives for the family and society .
Post Views: 261
