Experts of the Committee on the Rights of the Child Commend Colombia on Child-Focused Climate Action, Raise Questions on the Recruitment of Children in Armed Groups and on Children in Institutions
The Committee on the Rights of the Child today concluded its consideration of the combined sixth and seventh periodic report of Colombia under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, with Committee Experts commending the State party’s progress on child-focused climate action, while raising questions about the high number of children being recruited into armed groups, and the State’s deinstitutionalisation strategy for children.
Philip Jaffe, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Member, commended Colombia on its progress in incorporating a focus on children and adolescents in its climate action, including at meetings of the Conference of the Parties.
Rosaria Correa, Committee Expert and Taskforce Coordinator for Colombia, asked how the State party would strengthen the urgent search mechanism, ensure differentiated approaches, and ascertain that adolescents who were recruited in armed groups were treated as victims? How did the State party ensure continued education and training for such adolescents?
Rinchen Chopel, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Member, asked what steps were being taken to immediately end the recruitment and use of children by the military and the police, and ensure the prosecution of perpetrators and investigations into such acts?
Hynd Ayoubi Idrissi, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, asked how the State party was promoting deinstitutionalisation and protecting the rights of children in foster care? What had been done to avoid children denied of a family environment being placed in institutions? Mr. Jaffe asked what progress had been made on deinstitutionalisation and the care reform strategy? Several children had been referred to residential care rather than family or community-based alternatives.
The delegation said a strategy to prevent the conscription of children had been developed by the State party in collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund. Colombia had formed a working group on illicit recruitment that was working to prevent this phenomenon in collaboration with local authorities. The State party was also working to prevent online grooming of children. Increased monitoring by authorities had led to 350 abusive TikTok accounts being taken down. Colombia had created a programme for supporting children and adolescents who had disengaged from military outfits. Such children were considered to be victims by the State, which immediately activated administrative processes to protect these children’s rights and support their disengagement, family reunification, and access to redress.
The delegation also said there were more than 5,200 foster families and around 2,000 children with disabilities placed within these families, meaning the State was gradually bringing down the levels of institutionalisation. The number of places of institutions was being reduced; no more than 50 children could be in institutions and there were no new operating licenses for building institutional facilities for children. Staff in institutions were being trained to be aware of transformations which needed to take place. In the first half of 2025, of the 9,000 children with disabilities, more than 65 per cent of these were living with foster families.
Introducing the report, Gustavo Gallón, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations Office at Geneva and head of the delegation, said Colombia had a strong legal arsenal that ensured that children and adolescents could develop, prosper and be happy. The State party had made progress in universalising preschool level education. In 2019, preschool education covered 32.1 per cent of the population, while it covered 59 per cent, or nearly 2.2 million children, in 2024. Colombia had undertaken systematic work in conjunction with the United Nations Children's Fund to assess how to reduce the effects of climate change and environmental degradation.
In closing remarks, Ms. Correa thanked the delegation of Colombia for the high-quality dialogue over the past day, and the transparency of its members in discussing progress and challenges. While progress had been made, there were structural challenges remaining which were a concern to the Committee, including violence, sexual violence, recruitment of children by organised criminal outfits, regional inequalities, poverty, and weaknesses in implementing laws, policies, programmes and plans at the local level.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Gallón said he concurred with the statement of the Taskforce Coordinator. The Truth Commission established in 2016 had produced its final report in 2022, in which it acknowledged the suffering of children and adolescents living through three decades of armed conflict in Colombia, particularly in poor and remote areas. The report aimed to address some of the existing challenges in Colombia, which the State would focus on, in conjunction with the Committee’s comments and recommendations. Colombia was committed to safeguarding the rights of children and adolescents in the country.
The delegation of Colombia consisted of representatives from the Ministry of National Education; the Ministry of Multilateral Affairs; the Ministry of Justice; the Ministry of Labour; the Ministry of Cultures, Art and Knowledge; the Ministry of Health and Social Protection; the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development; the Presidential Advisor for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law; the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare; the Office of the Attorney General; and the Permanent Mission of Colombia to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee will issue the concluding observations on the report of Colombia at the end of its one hundredth session on 30 January. Those, and other documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, will be available on the session’s webpage. Summaries of the public meetings of the Committee can be found here, while webcasts of the public meetings can be found here.
The Committee will next meet in public on Wednesday, 21 January at 3 p.m. to consider the seventh periodic report of Spain (CRC/C/ESP/7).
Report
The Committee has before it the sixth and seventh combined periodic report of Colombia (CRC/C/COL/6-7).
Presentation of Report
GUSTAVO GALLÓN, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations Office at Geneva and head of the delegation, said that Colombia had achieved significant progress but faced outstanding challenges that required joint efforts. The State party appreciated the opportunity to strengthen cooperation and transparency in its implementation of the Convention. The Committee’s recommendations had helped guide the State party’s reforms to close historic gaps that affected children and adolescents in the State.
In the dialogue, the delegation would present efforts to implement institutional reforms that ensured timely and relevant attention to children throughout the country. It would address the implementation of the Children’s Code, present increases in public investment in children and improvements in the collection of statistics on children, and discuss efforts to eradicate all forms of violence against children. Colombia had a strong legal arsenal that ensured that children and adolescents could develop, prosper and be happy. There were opportunities for children and adolescents to speak up and have their voices heard, including youth councils and school-based platforms.
The State party was constantly redesigning its policies in the areas of health, leisure, sports, culture, environment and housing. It had made progress in universalising preschool level education. In 2019, preschool education covered 32.1 per cent of the population, while it covered 59 per cent, or nearly 2.2 million children, in 2024.
The State party was also opening greater pathways to health services. Health coverage was almost universal and there had been a tangible reduction in child mortality over the reporting period, from 14 to 12 deaths for every 1,000 live births. The coverage of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccination rose by eight percentage points to 93 per cent in 2025.
The State party had undertaken systematic work in conjunction with the United Nations Children's Fund to assess how to reduce the effects of climate change and environmental degradation. Colombia had also made progress in strengthening juvenile justice and had begun a process of deinstitutionalisation of protective care modalities. There were still challenges to overcome in this regard, however.
The State party shared the Committee’s concerns regarding the increase in the recruitment and use of children and adolescents in armed conflict, the sexual violence that women and girls still experienced in conflict settings, and the situation of unaccompanied minors in the State. Through the dialogue, the State party sought to work with the Committee to seek solutions that would bring Colombia closer to guaranteeing the rights of all children and adolescents in the State.
Questions by Committee Experts
ROSARIA CORREA, Committee Expert and Taskforce Coordinator for Colombia, said the State party had made significant progress in reforming laws, formulating new public policies, and reforming institutions to guarantee the rights of children and adolescents. However, there were structural challenges that had a serious impact on childhood and resulted in sexual violence, unequal access to services, and the consequences of the lack of implementation of the 2016 peace agreement in some areas. The presence of armed groups in rural areas continued to expose children to forced conscription, displacement and sexual violence, and limit their education.
The Committee welcomed that the State party had been able to calculate budgetary allocations to children since 2021. However, it was alarmed that over 40 per cent of children lived in cash poverty in certain areas. Although the budget for children had increased, it had not had a significant enough impact on the protection and education of children. How did the State party address poverty as a structural issue? How was it supporting children in rural areas affected by conflict? How would the State close the financing gap when it came to preventing violence? What policies were in place to reduce discrimination? How did the State party ensure the best interests of the child, strengthen capacities at local levels, and ensure the effective participation of children?
The State party had adopted urgent search mechanisms for missing children, but there was insufficient institutional capacity and no differentiated gender and disability approaches in searches. How would the State party strengthen the urgent search mechanism, ensure differentiated approaches, and ascertain that adolescents who were recruited in armed groups were treated as victims? How did the State party ensure continued education and training for such adolescents?
Violence against children had increased over the reporting period. Children were seemingly defended by laws but not in practice. Loopholes in the system were creating cycles of impunity in family and educational settings. What measures were in place to ensure that educational establishments had appropriate tools to address bullying, online harassment and psychological violence? How was the State party identifying at-risk migrant children and protecting them from sexual and labour exploitation?
There were reports of sexual violence against children by members of the clergy and armed groups. How would the State provide adequate reparations for victims and punish perpetrators and those who sought to conceal them? How would it implement immediate protection measures in Guaviare and ensure humanitarian access in Catatumbo? How would the State ensure reparation for the many thousands of communities that had been displaced or confined to their homes? How would it prevent the manipulation of girls by criminal gangs?
RINCHEN CHOPHEL, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, expressed concern that up to 20 per cent of children born in rural indigenous communities were not registered at birth. Children born to Venezuelan migrants faced a risk of statelessness due to complex legal and practical obstacles. What measures were in place to ensure birth registration and issue identification documents for all children living in remote areas, and to expand the use of mobile units and civil registry offices?
What awareness raising campaigns were in place on the risks for children born through assisted reproductive technologies and surrogate mothers? Had a study into surrogacy in the State party been undertaken? What efforts had been made to strengthen children’s awareness of their right to peaceful assembly? What investigations had been carried out into allegations of violations of children’s rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly, such as those related to the social protests of April 2021? What legal and policy developments had been implemented to protect children from harmful online content and improve access to the internet in rural areas?
HYND AYOUBI IDRISSI, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, said that Colombia had set up several programmes on psychosocial support for families and communities to strengthen the development of children. What results had these programmes achieved? Several protocols had been signed with States such as Venezuela to protect the rights of unaccompanied minors, stateless children and asylum seekers; how were these being implemented? How was the State party promoting deinstitutionalisation and protecting the rights of children in foster care? Could children accompany their mothers in detention? What measures were in place to prevent adoptions organised by non-licenced agencies?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said Colombia was collecting data on indicators related to various national planning instruments, such as the national development plan. In recent years, the State party had made progress on mapping municipal investment, which enabled it to prioritise public resources in municipalities, particularly those affected by armed conflict. Reforms had led to increased investment in health, education and sanitation; this was having a direct impact on the living conditions of children and adolescents. There were territorial units that focused on budgetary commitments related to addressing violence and the structural causes of poverty.
Colombia faced significant challenges and poverty persisted. However, in 2015, the multidimensional poverty index was at 38.8 per cent; in 2025, it was at 24.13 per cent. In 2018, 7.1 per cent of households faced barriers in accessing services; today, the rate was 5.3 per cent. The mortality rate for children under five was 10.4 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2018; it was now 6.7 deaths. There had also been a 50 per cent drop in deaths due to malnutrition over the reporting period.
Colombia had in 2025 implemented a family justice system that enabled more expeditious action and the participation of children and adolescents in the process. An integrated information system on family violence had been implemented, and the State party had been expanding family advocacy offices across the country. These offices had interdisciplinary teams with nutritionists, psychologists and social workers, and links to public defenders’ offices. There were three Ombudsman offices that worked on the restoration of children’s rights. Further, Colombia had funding mechanisms devoted to reducing violence. There were 338 cases of violence against children for every 100,000 children reported in 2018, but this number had dropped to 228 as of 2025. The State party had a roadmap for addressing family and sexual violence and two laws that guided the family protection system.
The Agency for Independent Oversight coordinated with other entities to guarantee the rights of children and adolescents to access justice. It had staff throughout the country who ensured that children’s rights were respected in criminal proceedings; they were promoting due process and the implementation of non-custodial sentences for children and adolescents.
Colombia had signed a peace agreement in 2016, but this had not yet been fully implemented; this was a major challenge. There were currently eight emerging armed conflicts in Colombia between fragmented armed groups, the activities of which were linked to illegal mining and drug trafficking. These conflicts were increasing humanitarian challenges in some parts of the country, entailing serious human rights violations, particularly in indigenous and Afro-descendant communities. One of the most affected areas was Catatumbo, where a local state of emergency was declared by the State. A pact for the transformation of Catatumbo was being discussed with civil society. The State party was trying to address the many human rights violations related to the conflict as comprehensively as possible.
A strategy to prevent the conscription of children had been developed by the State party in collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund. Colombia had formed a working group on illicit recruitment that was working to prevent this phenomenon in collaboration with local authorities. The State party was also working to prevent online grooming of children. Increased monitoring by authorities had led to 350 abusive TikTok accounts being taken down.
Colombia had created a programme for supporting children and adolescents who had disengaged from military outfits. Such children were considered to be victims by the State, which immediately activated administrative processes to protect these children’s rights and support their disengagement, family reunification, and access to redress. Between 2020 and 2021, over 400 children and adolescents aged 12 to 17 disengaged from military groups; over 30 per cent of these minors had indigenous backgrounds.
Colombia had developed differentiated guidelines and institutional response mechanisms to address the problem of violence against minors and eliminate revictimisation. Special legal units for children and adolescents had been created in all 32 provinces of the country, through which some 117 prosecutors were carrying out investigations into sexual violence, domestic violence, homicides and femicides. The State party had in 2025 created a “pink alert” system that activated urgent mechanisms when persons under 25 were reported missing. The Family Ombudsman represented children in legal cases when they did not have legal representatives.
The State party had developed strategies to combat violence against children exercised by the clergy. It had identified 500 names of religious leaders who were possibly involved in sexual violence and pursued around 800 cases against these individuals, through which 20 convictions had been reached thus far.
The State’s specialised unit on gender-based violence worked to prevent and investigate violence against indigenous communities, following a Constitutional Court ruling. The unit had organised activities to prevent aggressors from handing out hallucinogenic substances.
The State party was moving towards deinstitutionalisation and was promoting the reintegration into society of adolescent offenders. The rate of imposition of custodial measures had decreased; they were now imposed in 58 per cent of cases involving adolescents. Measures were in place that allowed adolescent offenders to continue their education and attend university, with 100 per cent of their university fees covered by the State.
There had been significant numbers of Venezuelans entering Colombia in recent years. This had caused the State party to adapt its response and develop specific policies to address this population. It had formed memoranda of understanding with the Governments of Venezuela, Panama, Chile and Mexico that sought to ensure the registration of migrant children to prevent statelessness, and ascertain family reunification and protection for returnees in their countries of origin. Since the enforcement of these memoranda, the State had facilitated 97 family reunifications. The State had set up a platform for migrant children, which helped it understand and address migratory phenomena, and had developed strategies for protecting migrant children. Children born in Colombia to irregular migrants from Venezuela received birth certificates and Colombian citizenship, and their parents received special stay permits. All children and adolescent migrants from Venezuela had access to the education system; over half a million children from Venezuela were now studying in Colombian schools.
The National Civil Registry Office had registered some 742,000 children to prevent statelessness. Mobile identification units were operating across the country, addressing the needs of vulnerable populations in rural and indigenous communities. The State party was working to implement the Constitutional Court ruling in this regard, providing registration services to children in the places where they lived.
Colombia’s Constitution recognised children’s participation as a fundamental right. Children’s participation platforms were established in over 1,100 municipalities in 2010. Thanks to these, some 2,450 youth-led initiatives had been incorporated into local development plans. There were also committees set up in schools and cultural platforms that encouraged the participation of children. The State party had also held events related to children’s right to a healthy environment and supported children to take part in Conference of the Parties meetings. Children could also participate in the development of juvenile justice system programmes.
Following the social turmoil between 2019 and 2021, laws were developed with civil society that regulated the activities of law enforcement in the context of social protests. Law enforcement bodies now needed to report on how they were safeguarding rights during such protests. An ad-hoc expert committee had been established to shed light on serious human rights violations committed during demonstrations, which was mandated to document patterns of aggression in demonstrations, identify violations, and formulate recommendations for various entities.
The State party had strengthened technical guidelines on surrogacy and adoption and supported teams working in these fields. Adoption of children with special needs had increased by 10 per cent, a result of increased dialogue between the State and adoptive families. There had also been an increase in adoptions by Colombian parents living in Colombia; some 62 per cent of adoptions were domestic. The Ministry of Justice was drafting a bill on surrogacy in consultation with civil society. The bill would ban surrogacy for commercial purposes; how to treat surrogacy for altruistic purposes was currently being discussed in Congress.
Questions by Committee Experts
PHILIP D. JAFFE, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, asked about efforts to harmonise disability legislation with the human rights model. What data did the State party collect on children with disabilities that could be used to design policies and programmes? What progress had been made on deinstitutionalisation and the care reform strategy? Several children had been referred to residential care rather than family or community-based alternatives. How had the State party implemented the Constitutional Court order to monitor contraception and sterilisation procedures on persons with disabilities? How was the State party promoting a positive image of children with disabilities?
There were large neighbourhoods that were underserved in terms of healthcare and other services. The Committee was concerned about reduced availability for rural, indigenous and Afro-descendant communities. What measures were in place to monitor access to health services by municipality? How was the State party increasing funding for health services in underserved communities? What steps had been taken to increase the rate of exclusive breastfeeding? How was the State party strengthening nutritional centres, emergency nutritional committees, and the school feeding programme? What was being done to regulate the marketing of breastmilk substitutes and ultra processed foods?
What measures were in place to ensure the full implementation of the national strategy on mental health? The mental health helpline seemed to be underutilised and there were insufficient numbers of psychologists and child psychiatrists. How was the State party addressing these issues and supporting children’s access to mental health services? What specific measures were in place to ensure child-sensitive drug treatment services?
The Expert commended Colombia on its progress in incorporating a focus on children and adolescents in its climate action, including at Conference of the Parties meetings. How would Colombia integrate child rights impact assessments in the implementation of nationally determined contributions and climate change policies? How was the State party protecting child environmental rights defenders? Could the State party comment on the formation of a political party for children aged nine to 14 years old last month?
HYND AYOUBI IDRISSI, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, asked about support for policies to prevent poverty in indigenous and rural communities. What impact did these policies have in terms of improving nutrition, health and education?
The State party had achieved progress in increasing the rate of preschool attendance, but there were inequalities in access to education for vulnerable populations and indigenous communities. Administrative barriers prevented migrants from accessing education, and children with disabilities had limited access to inclusive education. How would the State party achieve its goals related to education and strengthen education on ethics and history to promote reconciliation and peace? The State party had adopted several protocols with trade unions on ensuring that schools were safe and secure. What impact did these have? What measures were in place to reduce school dropout rates and promote the return of school leavers? How did the State party promote children’s access to leisure activities?
RINCHEN CHOPHEL, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, said that child migrants and asylum seekers faced risks of violence and exploitation and barriers to accessing basic services. There needed to be improved child protection systems and sustained support for these children. How was the State party ensuring early identification of unaccompanied minors and promoting access to basic services for child migrants? What awareness raising campaigns were in place to combat discrimination of migrant and refugee children?
What measures were in place to ensure the identification and classification of cases of child labour? There appeared to have been an alarming increase in trafficking, particularly for sexual exploitation, over the years in Colombia. Between 2013 and 2020, 62 per cent of trafficking cases in Colombia related to sexual exploitation and 82 per cent of victims were women. Had the State party conducted any studies into why trafficking continued to be a major problem? Were there plans to develop a comprehensive national strategy to prevent the trafficking of children and ensure early identification and support of victims? What more was being done to expand access to justice in rural areas?
ROSARIA CORREA, Committee Expert and Taskforce Coordinator, asked about mechanisms in place to identify and investigate cases of violence against children. How many cases had been dealt with and how many convictions had been reached? Colombia had been a pioneer of the guardianship system in the region. How was it working to strengthen this system? How was the State preventing female genital mutilation?
Another Committee Expert asked follow-up questions on the number of birth certificates issued to children in rural areas; the factors preventing the State party from reaching a 95 per cent vaccination rate; and campaigns in place to encourage vaccination.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said a mechanism had been created which enabled children to directly turn to judges and courts to claim their fundamental rights and have their cases resolved within a 10-day timeline. This mechanism was considered as the jewel in the crown for providing access to justice, and enabled the rights of children and all Colombians to be recognised. Around 32 per cent of writs submitted pertained to the rights of the child. It was only in serious cases that the deprivation of liberty was enforced for juvenile perpetrators.
The State, through the Attorney General’s Office, was removing barriers to accessing justice. The Office had communication channels through which users could report events related to children and adolescents. Those who received complaints were able to identity how children and adolescents were addressed. Prosecutor support centres were present in areas with higher rates of violence. There was a single window for correspondence and a risk identification format, which could be applied to victims of gender-based violence.
A tool had been developed to gather information on women in the prison system, including a breakdown in the child/maternal link. In Colombia, children aged 0 to three could remain with their mothers in dedicated areas in prison. It was vital that children who were born in prisons were granted identification immediately and received immediate healthcare. There had been over 200 requests from mothers in prison to have access to their children. The re-establishment of rights process aimed to ensure visits and contact between mothers and their children. Children had a right to see their mothers at least once per month.
All children and adolescents who were foreigners in the country enjoyed the same rights as those who were Colombian. All memoranda of understandings with Venezuela, Panama and Chile, and the letter of intent with Mexico within the work dimensions, aimed to identify children.
Sexual and commercial exploitation of children was a major challenge for the country, with 80 per cent of the cases being women. Colombia was grateful for any recommendations the Committee might have based on good practices and experiences from other countries. A fund had been created for the exit of foreigners in the country. It was hoped a decree would be regulated this year to enable the State to gather more resources to deal with the exploitation of children and adolescents.
The public policy for disability was currently being updated focusing on community inclusion for persons with disabilities. Over 200,000 children were recorded at school in 2025. The State had been making headway in the identification certification processes; based on disability registrations, 68 per cent of children had a mental disability, with more than 60 per cent of these children having multiple disabilities. The were challenges in Colombia in achieving 100 per cent certification of disabilities.
In 2025, there were 4.8 million children and adolescents affiliated to the health system, ensuring universal coverage. To ensure better access to health services, the Government had deployed over 13,000 basic health services, including health promoters, psychologists, cancer specialists, doctors and nurses throughout the country, including in remote areas. There were also agents of traditional medicine for the practices of remote communities. This ensured coverage of over 8.8 million households.
The State must ensure the right to care in dignified conditions was provided and to provide decent working conditions for carers. The mental health policy had been adopted to ensure access and funding for all persons, including children and adolescents. Mobile units were being used to address the needs of drug takers. Around 23,000 children had received holistic treatments in more than 60 municipalities where drug use was the highest.
The State was aiming to bring down barriers to ensure adolescents had access to quality sexual and reproductive services which met World Health Organization standards. Colombia had signed agreements with local and regional health services, enabling cases of female genital mutilation to be brought down by 58 per cent, from 80 to 37 cases between 2023 and 2025. There were challenges to bring vaccination coverage to 93 per cent. Units were deployed in rural areas to overcome these gaps.
There were more than 5,200 foster families and around 2,000 children with disabilities placed within these families, meaning the State was gradually bringing down the levels of institutionalisation. The number of places of institutions was being brought down; no more than 50 children could be in institutions and there were no new operating licenses for building institutional facilities for children. Staff in institutions were being trained to be aware of transformations which needed to take place. In the first half of 2025, of the 9,000 children with disabilities, more than 65 per cent of these were living with foster families.
The use of drugs and narcotics was considered as a public health problem, but not a crime. This was important when designing treatment for children and adolescents. The focus was on protection and prevention, rather than punishment for such behaviour.
A participatory roadmap for climate action had been drawn up, with actions involving society and activities undertaken in multiple provinces. Actions had been underpinned by the United Nations Children Fund’s guidelines. Colombia had been recognised and awarded a medal for its biodiversity strategy. The State’s approach recognised the crucial role of environmental women and youth leaders and contained a plan for protecting environmental defenders.
The country had developed an initiative ensuring universal nursery school coverage to the age of five, and a full educational roadmap, spanning until the eleventh grade. In Colombia, there were over 1.4 million children in nursery school in 2019, which had increased to over two million in 2024. This showed that the State was investing in extending nursery school coverage and aimed to achieve the figure of seven million children.
There had been several feeding programmes in Colombia, including a programme for Black Afro Colombians and indigenous peoples. Funding for these programmes had been doubled in recent years. The enrolment of indigenous children and children with disabilities in school had risen in recent years. School residences were located in sparsely populated rural areas where it was difficult to have access to education, allowing children from these remote areas to have better access to education. Colombia recognised the importance of artistic expression in school, and had trained teachers and designed the curriculum accordingly. School curricula also included concepts such as ethics, creativity and citizenship.
Human rights education was a State policy aligned with the national education act. The national education plan had educational and cultural perspectives. Children were being educated on peaceful coexistence, with ethnic perspectives being included depending on the local population. Since 2023, a student platform took part in creating the curriculum. A law had been created which ensured the Arts Programme for Peace, strengthening cultural organizations and impacting hundreds of thousands of children. Languages were considered to be an integral part of the programme. Colombia had acceded to the Safe Schools Declaration in 2022 and had begun its implementation of the strategy since then. The process sought to manage risks at schools and contained specialised criteria for conflict. The declaration had been incorporated in foreign policy and in areas of multilateral cooperation.
Mobile units provided services in remote regions to ensure children could be registered at birth, including through allowing witnesses to certify the birth of a child in the absence of a health professional. Colombia had achieved a drop in monetary policy, from around 43 per cent in 2020 to 31 per cent in 2024, while extreme poverty dropped from around 17 per cent to 11 per cent. The National Planning Department had made headway in multidimensional poverty. A programme sought to provide basic nutritional requirements for those who were suffering from poverty. The State had also developed an index for issues, which enabled caps or thresholds to be placed in various regions.
As of 2022, a decision had been issued regarding cases of child trafficking to provide capacity for prosecutors and enable them to work with other entities. A team had been created last year to support the specialised units for children and adolescents, particularly in terms of sexual exploitation.
Questions by Committee Experts
ROSARIA CORREA, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Coordinator, asked what measures had been adopted to ensure the activities carried out by the business sector, such as extractive industries, fully respected children’s rights? What specific actions had been adopted to address the high levels of homicide of children and gangs in certain areas? How did the Colombian State regulate and monitor how certain types of housing were being used in specific areas? What was the status of accession to the Optional Protocol of the Convention?
HYND AYOUBI-IDRISSI, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Member, asked about deinstitutionalisation for children denied of a family environment; what had been done to avoid them being placed in institutions? The State had done a lot to combat illiteracy but there were major discrepancies between the urban and rural areas; two per cent illiteracy compared to nine per cent respectively. Was there a clear strategy to combat school dropout? What had been done to address threats of explosive devices near schools and their surrounding areas?
RINCHEN CHOPEL, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Member, congratulated the members of the delegation for their precise, focused and clear responses. Could more information be provided about non-judicial measures for children in the criminal justice system? Recruitment by non-State armed groups was no doubt a challenge for the State party. What steps were being taken to immediately end the recruitment and use of children by the military and the police, and ensure the prosecution of perpetrators and investigations into such acts?
PHILIP JAFFE, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Member, said the deinstitutionalisation process was interesting, although there were still 35 per cent of children who needed to be in family settings. There was an increase in violence against children with disabilities, including sexual violence. What was happening on the judicial front in terms of investigation and potential convictions?
A Committee Expert said the Committee was impressed by the large and well organised delegation and the structured replies of its members. On the recruitment of children in armed groups to be used in conflict, were the recruited children from indigenous communities? How many awareness raising campaigns had been rolled out targeting children themselves in this regard? What had been the reactions from the population and the results?
An Expert commended the high number of children with disabilities who were living with families. The Council for the Participation of Persons was Disabilities was a body which should be commended. What measures were being taken by the State to ensure children with disabilities could express their views at local and national levels. What efforts were being taken by the Government to promote inclusive education for children with disabilities?
Another Expert asked about the intervention relating to child sexual abuse, particularly when this abuse occurred within the family. Were the interdisciplinary teams, which were mentioned by the delegation, equally spread over Colombia? How did these teams work? How were they organised? Could children give their evidence in the pretrial state of the case?
A Committee Expert asked if positive parenting programmes were promoted within the country? Were there plans for digital technologies to be regulated at the legal level? Was the State preparing children for the artificial intelligence era?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the State fully concurred with the Committee that prevention was a critical component in protecting children and adolescents from being swept up into military and criminal outfits. A strategy brought together 19 entities and contained pillars including communicational prevention online. The United Nations Children’s Fund had supported and monitored the strategy, which was drafted through a participatory process. The State monitored social networks and social media. There had been an educational campaign which aimed to train children and adolescents on how to use social media. The Government had also developed several strategies for children and adolescents, including “No One More to War”, and a peace generations campaign. The aim of the anti-recruitment strategy was to bring together all these initiatives. The State attached great importance in working with local and youth associations, as their commitments were vital to preventing recruitment. Indigenous and women’s perspectives had been provided for certain initiatives, and a focus had been placed on indigenous communities affected by recruitment.
A specialised working group had been created to investigate the areas in the country with the highest figures of recruitment, which was Cauca. Virtual undercover agents had been deployed to discover the structural causes of these crimes, including in areas with high levels of recruitments in school settings.
Over 10,000 children and adolescents had received information about forced recruitment in targeted campaigns carried out in municipalities with the highest prevalence of this issue. Over 100 children in the Cauca territory had been supported in disengagement. The Dreamcatcher Strategy had reached more than 400,000 children to ensure they did not go to war.
There were around 180,000 children who had been victims of sexual violence. A specialised unit had been created to apply restorative justice. Some cases were selected with teams to support adolescents.
Deinstitutionalisation was a cross-cutting component of care provided by the State, focusing on work with disabilities, restoration of rights, actions in terms of prevention, and juvenile justice. Deinstitutionalisation was not only addressed concerning children and adolescents with disabilities. A new modality had made it possible to work towards the prevention of violence through strengthening work with families and undertaking democratic dialogue with them. There were more than 600 teams working in this regard to ensure families did not end up in the protection system. The multidimensional Dreamcatcher Strategy had allowed for the skills of more than 500,000 children and adolescents to be strengthened.
Surgical contraception was not permitted to be carried out for minors without prior consent, including for persons with disabilities. The national survey for the nutritional status had been developed in three stages, and aimed to conclude in 2027. It contained a chapter relating to indigenous communities. Colombia was combatting malnutrition, due to both an excess and deficit, and had various decisions handed down since 2021 which required products high in sugar to be labelled, allowing consumers to make informed decisions.
In Colombia, children and adolescents with disabilities could participate in educational settings, could be elected to school boards, and could be appointed on student committees.
The Colombian State aimed to ratify international instruments, and had already ratified two of the three existing Convention protocols. Colombia was interested in moving forward towards ratifying the third Optional Protocol, and consultations with State bodies had begun to this effect last year.
A project had been implemented, modelled on the Brazilian experience, to provide fibre optics through rivers to allow these areas to be connected.
Colombia had tried to bring together initiatives to ensure responsible business behaviour, in line with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. There were two plans which mandated licensing entities to follow up on environmental management tools. There had been some interdisciplinary visits stemming from strict follow-up from environmental instruments. At the recent Conference of Parties, Colombia had called for a convening of a conference on fossil fuels to think about a future without fossil fuels.
The State aimed to bring down the number of custodial sentence points by two per cent among children and adolescents, but this had not yet been achieved. There was a roadmap for responding to cases of sexual violence, including an initial immediate referral to the health sector to conduct an assessment within 72 hours. After this the justice sector was alerted, and the administrative process to restore rights was launched.
When children were victims of sexual violence, they could testify before the trial, with this evidence considered during the trial, allowing them to avoid revictimisation. The State aimed to extend this procedure to other forms of hate-based violence involving children.
Adolescents could choose to undertake social or cultural services instead of compulsory military service. It was hoped the Committee would support the State in this endeavour, as well as in the development of cultural transformation strategies.
Closing Remarks
ROSARIA CORREA, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Coordinator, thanked the delegation of Colombia for the high-quality dialogue over the past day, and its transparency in discussing progress and challenges. While progress had been made, there were structural challenges remaining which were of concern to the Committee, including violence, sexual violence, recruitment of children by organised criminal outfits, regional inequalities, poverty, and weaknesses in implementing laws, policies, programmes and plans at the local level. To achieve positive impacts, there needed to be a more holistic approach. Work needed to continue to have a more systematic protection of rights to close gaps. The Committee reiterated thanks for civil society and for the active participation of the State party.
GUSTAVO GALLÓN, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations Office at Geneva and head of the delegation, said he concurred with the statement of the Taskforce Coordinator. The Truth Commission established in 2016 had produced its final report in 2022, in which it acknowledged the suffering of children and adolescents living through three decades of armed conflict in Colombia, particularly in poor and remote areas. This included murder of their family members, forced displacement, kidnappings and occupation of schools, as well as suffering from violence due to their gender or ethnic background. The implementation of the Peace Agreement since 2016 and efforts to find a solution to the conflict were the best efforts to bring an end to the violence.
Colombia had faced the most atrocious violence against children and adolescents and the countryside had been pillaged of its heritage. These intergenerational impacts were the hardest to heal. The report aimed to show the legacies of children and adolescents were heard and that everyone could finally live in a country with peace. It also aimed to address some of the existing challenges in Colombia, which the State would focus on, in conjunction with the Committee’s comments and recommendations. Colombia was committed to safeguarding the rights of children and adolescents in the country.
SOPHIE KILADZE, Committee Chair, said Colombia had gone through unimaginable sorrow and violence, with children being the victims. The Committee would do its best to support Colombia in protecting children and adolescents and providing the best possible recommendations for the State party to work to protect its children and realise the rights enshrined in the Constitution. The Committee recognised the State’s strong commitment towards protecting children and wished them all the best.
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