Colombia’s new government proposes tax reform to finance...
Peace talks with Colombia’s ELN guerrillas ‘about to...
Colombia’s largest paramilitary group announces unilateral ceasefire
The men and women who will govern Colombia...
Gustavo Petro sworn in as Colombia’s new president
Colombia to seek decriminalization of drugs despite US...
Colombia’s failing state | Part 6: indigenous under...
How serious is Colombia’s president-elect about fighting corruption?
How violent Colombia became while Duque was in...
Medellin’s secret history of violence against women and...
  • About
  • Support
  • Newsletter
  • Contact
Colombia News | Colombia Reports
  • News
    • General
    • Analysis
    • War and peace
    • Elections
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Sports
    • Science and Tech
  • Travel
    • General
    • Bogota
    • Medellin
    • Cali
    • Cartagena
    • Antioquia
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • Coffee region
    • Amazon
    • Southwest Colombia
    • Northeast Colombia
    • Central Colombia
  • Data
    • Economy
    • Crime and security
    • War and peace
    • Development
    • Cities
    • Regions
    • Provinces
  • Profiles
    • Organized crime
    • Politics
    • Armed conflict
    • Economy
    • Sports
  • Lite
  • Opinion
(Photo: The Associated Press)
War and peace

FARC bans recruitment of child soldiers under 17

by Adriaan Alsema February 12, 2015

Colombia’s largest rebel group, the FARC, vowed on Thursday to immediately and indefinitely ban the recruitment of child soldiers under 17.

Until now, the FARC have formally only allowed the incorporation of recruits who are 15 and older. However, international humanitarian law dictates that no minor can take part in military activity.

To comply with international humanitarian law, the FARC announced to “no longer incorporate, from today on, minors younger than 17 in the guerrilla ranks.”

The presumably ongoing recruitment of minors was a thorn in the flesh of human rights organizations and critics of the peace talks, who have been demanding the FARC to expand an earlier imposed unilateral ceasefire with abandoning the use of child soldiers and land mines.

In its announcement, the guerrillas called on the armed forces to also stop the use of children for intelligence work, and to end the illegal forced recruitment of young men in street raids.

The FARC has been engaged in peace talks with the government since November 2012 and are currently negotiating the last two of five points. If successful, a peace deal would end 50 years of violence between the FARC, the state and state-aligned paramilitary groups that formally disbanded between 2003 and 2006.

armed conflictchild soldiersFARCpeace talks

Trending

  • Colombia to seek decriminalization of drugs despite US objections

  • Medellin’s secret history of violence against women and girls

  • How serious is Colombia’s president-elect about fighting corruption?

Related articles

  • Peace talks with Colombia’s ELN guerrillas ‘about to be resumed’: Petro

  • Colombia’s largest paramilitary group announces unilateral ceasefire

  • Colombia’s failing state | Part 6: indigenous under siege

  • RSS

@2008-2019 - Colombia Reports. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by Digitale Zaken and Parrolabs


Back To Top