According to the United Nations, former child soldiers of the FARC were sent home by the now-demobilized guerrillas before a peace process that began in December 2016.
The UN, which monitors the process, said that it received reports from the Meta, Caqueta and Cauca provinces that said guerrilla units had separated child soldiers from adult guerrillas before the process.
Consequently, the minors miss out on support programs for former child soldiers and the FARC commanders could evade justice for the recruitment of minors.
The United Nations did not say how many child soldiers could be left out of the FARC’s transitional justice system, just that 135 were formally surrendered to Family Welfare.
The FARC demobilized 14,000 guerrillas and militia members last year, almost two years after it said it would end the recruitment of minors.
The Agreement and human rights law require respect for the principle of the best interest of the child within the process of their separation from FARC-EP. However, thus far this principle has not been respected in its totality.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Paramilitary group AUC sent home more than 200 child soldiers ahead of their demobilization between 2003 and 2006. Rather than receive victim support, these children became the target of rival armed groups.
According to the UN, the majority of child soldiers belonging to the FARC opted to abandon the process and go to their families, where they could be recruited by rival groups.
OHCHR received information through its field presences indicating the continued recruitment and use of children from areas where ex-members of FARC-EP were operating. In addition, ELN and criminal groups continued recruiting and using children.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
In the 2016 peace agreement, the FARC committed to surrendering the child soldiers and contribute to restorative justice for the minors’ recruitment, which is a war crime.
Thousands of former guerrillas are set to be tried before a transitional justice tribunal that could send them to prison if the court finds that former FARC commanders fail to cooperate.
