Bogota: A Colombian judge on Monday sentenced 11 senior commanders of the ELN rebel group to between 11 and 20 years in prison for recruiting 60 children, some as young as 8, into their ranks between 2004 and 2018.
The commanders were convicted in absentia after prosecutors found them responsible for recruiting boys and girls aged 8 to 17. Prosecutors also said some of the girls were sexually abused.
The trial was held in absentia because the commanders remain at large. Some of those convicted have also taken part in peace talks with the Colombian government, including ELN leader Israel Ramírez Pineda, known as Pablo Beltrán, who is based in Cuba.
The government suspended peace negotiations with the ELN last year after a series of attacks in the northeastern Catatumbo region left at least 80 people dead.
Human rights groups say the recruitment of children by armed groups and criminal organisations remains a serious problem in Colombia, with social media increasingly being used to target young people.
According to Colombia’s Human Rights Defenders’ Office, at least 1,500 children have been recruited by armed groups since 2021, including 625 cases reported in 2024. Children are used for tasks ranging from carrying messages and gathering intelligence to cooking and taking part in combat. Girls are also sometimes subjected to sexual exploitation by commanders.
The United Nations has urged social media platforms to preserve evidence and cooperate with Colombian prosecutors while taking steps to prevent armed groups from using their platforms to recruit children.
The UN human rights office in Colombia welcomed Monday’s convictions, saying the recruitment of children into armed groups is prohibited under international law.
“This is a very important development in the fight against the recruitment of girls and boys,” said Scott Campbell, the UN human rights representative in Colombia.
(With agency inputs from AP via PTI)