Colombia: Impact of the armed conflict on children and youth

According to Colombia’s Victims Unit, between 1985 and 2021, armed conflict in the country affected more than two million children and youth,1 including through displacement, confinement, recruitment, abuse, and sexual violence. Although violence decreased after the 2016 demobilisation of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARCEP), attempts by other armed groups to take over the power vacuum in areas previously dominated by the FARC-EP has increased conflict levels. Between 2020 and 2021, there was an astounding 88% increase (from 12,481 to 23,465) in the number of conflict-affected children and youth. Displacement impacted around 13,000 children among those affected by conflict in 2021. The number of children and adolescents recruited into armed groups to bolster their ranks has also increased.

Access the report in Spanish here.