Children Are Main Victims of Colombia’s Armed Conflict: Report
Children are the primary victims of Colombia’s armed conflict, according to the Colombian Family Welfare Institute (ICBF).
In recognition of the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, the ICBF released figures Sunday relating to the maltreatment of children in Colombia, with a particular focus on the detrimental effects of the armed conflict.
According to the ICBF, there have been 17,022 cases of maltreatment of children and adolescents so far in 2012, 111 of whom were threatened by armed groups.
“It is painful that many children and adolescents have been caught at an early age in the world of war, and that there have been a series of affectations to development and construction of their life plan,” said the director of the ICBF, Diego Molano.
The ICBF revealed some disturbing information about the use of child soliders in the conflict.