Colombia’s government forensics department revealed Monday that 18 new alleged cases of sexual abuse of minors by the military and the police are being investigated.
The recent murder of three children in the Arauca department, one of whom was raped, allegedly by members of the army, has sparked an investigation into other rape cases across Colombia this year.
The youngest reported victim is a girl under 4 years old allegedly raped by a police officer in the Norte de Santander department.
A police officer in Bogota is under investigation for sexually abusing a girl under the age of 9 years.
In 2009 the security forces were accused of 63 sexual assaults, and 39 of these cases involved victims under the age of 18.
The Defense Ministry announced in October that human rights complaints against Colombia’s security forces have dropped 96% since 2006. The number of complaints had fallen from 256 in 2006 to 13 complaints this year, with only one of these alleging sexual abuse.