Child Recruitment to Illegal Armed Groups in Colombia: Peacebuilding and Development Challenges

Abstract

Over 12,000 children have disengaged from illegal armed groups in Colombia since 2003, and more will disengage when the conflict ends. The drivers behind child recruitment are complex. Recent literature highlights the need for two areas of peacebuilding and development work to address child recruitment in conflict-affected areas of Colombia: stronger state presence, and development initiatives tackling factors contributing to child recruitment, such as poverty and education. This article aims to answer the following questions: What factors have driven child recruitment in Colombia? How do development issues such as poverty, education, and domestic violence manifest themselves and interact with child recruitment, and how could efforts to resolve them coincide with increased state presence in areas where recruitment frequently occurs? The article uses interviews with ex-combatants to examine factors that have driven child recruitment in Colombia to highlight development and peacebuilding issues that the state should prioritise, and suggests possible solutions.