Political scientist Natalia Springer, who conducted the research about children in the Colombian conflict, says 14 thousand minors are active as actual soldiers within the rebel groups. The majority of the children are used to transport supplies, because they attract less attention from Colombian Army soldiers.Springer says the FARC and ELN are recruiting children as young as ten years old to join their fight against the government.Children entering the guerrilla or paramilitary forces mostly do so to avoid the poverty and hunger of their villages. It’s “a means of survival” the scientist says. Many of the children in the rebel groups come from disturbed families and have been subjected to domestic violence and substance abuse.
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