Overview
- Human Rights Watch published a report on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, saying at least 1,500 children have been recruited since 2021 and that cases rose sharply after 2023.
- Dissident FARC-derived units and criminal gangs are the main recruiters, with more than half of reported cases concentrated in Cauca and extensive recruitment by the faction linked to Iván Mordisco.
- Researchers verified social media posts and videos showing children being used as messengers, fighters and as pilots of explosives-laden drones, and they found dozens of accounts that glorify armed-group life.
- Indigenous children are disproportionately affected, composing nearly half of reported cases while making up about 4% of the population, and over 30% of recruits were aged 10–14.
- Colombian protection and justice systems are under-resourced and mostly ineffective, with outdated prevention policy, weak municipal capacity, unequal reintegration programs, and about 1% of complaints investigated and 0.2% resulting in convictions.