![]() Moreover, minors are useful to the interests of the war. Involvement is an act of force facilitated by the social, political and economic conditions in which thousands of children in Colombia find themselves. However, the involvement, use or recruitment of children in armed groups is not a voluntary process, even if these children give their consent at the time of their integration. Historically, children associated with armed groups have been denied victim status because, in many cases, the practice has been considered a voluntary act according to the accounts of children who have been disassociated from it. ![]() Once recruited, they are used for illicit activities and are subjected to a complex process of dehumanisation that prepares them to kill with indifference and without remorse. In other cases, they are forced to join these groups through threats and violence. In some circumstances, minors 'voluntarily' take part in the conflict when they are persuaded or believe the false promises of their recruiters, who offer them money, social status, respect and visibility. In some cases, they are taken from their homes and forced into organised armed groups (post-demobilisation paramilitary armed groups, guerrillas or FARC-EP splinter groups) and participate directly in the dynamics of the war. These children may die or lose family members. Many of them are affected by the attacks of armed groups against their population. The vulnerable situation in which many children find themselves in the context of the Colombian armed conflict is alarming. Photos : Archive COALICO - Oscar Fernando CoboĬhildren and adolescents as victims of war However, despite the existence of a wide range of international and national regulations on the protection of children in Colombia, the recruitment and use of minors is a common practice of the armed groups involved in the armed conflict inside the country. Similarly, the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict expressly prohibits the involvement of children under the age of 18 in armed conflict. ![]() Article 38 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Colombia is a party, obliges states to take all necessary measures to ensure the protection and care of children affected by armed conflict. ![]()
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