Colombia is experiencing a devastating surge in child soldier recruitment by armed groups, as the country’s conflicts spiral and state authority wanes. A report by Al Jazeera reveals that between 2021 and 2024, documented child recruitment rose over 1,000%, with numbers jumping from 37 to 409—though experts say the real figure is far higher.

‘He’d Never Touched a Gun’

Marta, a mother from eastern Colombia, last saw her 14-year-old son three months ago—wearing fatigues and carrying a rifle. He was abducted at 13 by a dissident faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP). When she pleaded for his release, the commander threatened to shoot her.

Another mother, Gloria, recounted how her 16-year-old son, who “had never even touched a gun,” was forcibly taken by an armed group. Although she managed to negotiate his release with the help of community members and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), most parents are not as fortunate.

Colombia’s 2016 peace deal with FARC temporarily reduced recruitment, but renewed violence—especially between FARC dissidents, the ELN, and other criminal networks—has reversed those gains. The ICRC warned in its 2024 annual report that child recruitment now ranks as the top fear in conflict zones across the country.

Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group (ICG), described the situation as the worst since 2009. Children are recruited either by force or lured in with false promises—through TikTok, WhatsApp, and other platforms—that glorify the armed lifestyle with flashy images of motorcycles, weapons, and money.

Girls are often promised empowerment or education but are then exploited, with many facing sexual abuse. Boys, meanwhile, are deployed to patrol jungles or even dismember bodies.

Violence, Culture, and Poverty

Though some minors “voluntarily” join, experts like Dickinson and Hilda Molano of COALICO argue that coercion—direct or systemic—is always present. Molano warned that only 10% of cases are ever officially documented, and that many children see joining armed groups as their only escape from poverty.

According to the UN, at least 262 children were recruited in 2023; 14 were confirmed killed, though that number is likely an undercount.

A Nation’s Children at Risk

The report names the FARC-EP dissidents, the ELN, and the Gulf Clan as the primary recruiters. The Colombian Family Welfare Institute said 213 children who had escaped or been rescued were placed into protective programs in 2024.

“Protecting children must start at the grassroots level,” said Molano. “Otherwise, we don’t make a difference. In the masses, we get lost.”

For parents like Marta, hope remains despite unimaginable fear. “I trust in God that he is alive,” she said. “You cannot imagine the agony I have to live through.”