Colombia: UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Welcomes the Planned Separation of Children Associated with the FARC-EP

ALCANCE Y CONTENIDO

Communiqué from the Office of the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict of the UN, in which they report that the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Leila Zerrougui, welcomes the announcement by the Government of Colombia and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejército del Pueblo (FARC-EP) that they will begin the separation and reintegration of all children under 18 associated with the FARC-EP on 10 September. The Government of Colombia and the FARC-EP further agreed on a protocol detailing steps for the separation and reintegration of children who will leave the FARC-EP camps, in accordance with the principle of the best interest of the child, and ensuring their treatment as victims. The final peace agreement of 24 August recalled the primacy of child rights, in accordance with the Constitution of Colombia. It is therefore important to ensure the restoration of these rights without delay to guarantee the children can experience a childhood and adolescence in peace.