Colombia: Human Rights and Humanitarian Situation

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office written question – answered at on 13 June 2025.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Fabian Hamilton Fabian Hamilton Labour, Leeds North East

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help tackle the impact of the recruitment of children by armed groups on (a) the humanitarian situation and (b) human rights in Colombia.

Photo of Catherine West Catherine West Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government is concerned by reports of a sharp rise in child recruitment by armed groups in Colombia. The UK is a key member of the UN's Group of Friends of Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) which plays a key role in promoting the protection of children affected by armed conflict, including through preventing recruitment. We align the activity of this multilateral group to the recommendations in the UN Secretary General's annual report on CAAC. We also regularly raise the issue of CAAC in our interventions at the UN Security Council (UNSC). We welcome the progress the Colombian government has made in the consultative phase of its Action Plan on Youth, Peace, and Security which if implemented effectively could help prevent youth and child recruitment. In November 2024, the Minister for Latin America and the Caribbean attended the Violence Against Children Conference in Colombia. At the conference, she discussed with Colombian counterparts how to strengthen the capacity of child protection systems to address significant threats to their wellbeing including in armed conflict.

Does this answer the above question?

Yes1 person thinks so

No0 people think not

Would you like to ask a question like this yourself? Use our Freedom of Information site.