Source: https://ihl-in-action.icrc.org/print/21001
Timestamp: 2020-07-09 13:25:37
Document Index: 334278907

Matched Legal Cases: ['Art. 3', 'Art. 1', 'Art. 4', 'Art. 77', 'Art. 4', 'Art. 38', 'Arts 1', 'Art 4']

Home > Colombia, Demobilisation of Child Soldiers
[Source: UN News Centre, Colombia: agreement to reintegrate children from FARC welcomed by UN envoy, available at http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=53948#.WV-e7ITyiUk [1]]
[Source: Karina Martin, “Colombia: inicia proceso de desmovilización de menores de las FARC”, Panam Post, 11 September 2016, available in Spanish at https://es.panampost.com/karina-martin/2016/09/11/menores-de-las-farc [2] (unofficial translation)]
[Source: “Terminó con éxito primera salida de menores de las Farc en Antioquia”, El Tiempo, 4 March 2017, available in Spanish at http://www.eltiempo.com/politica/proceso-de-paz/farc-entregan-menores-de-edad-en-antioquia-64144 [3] (unofficial translation)]
1. How would you classify the situation at the time in Colombia between the government and the FARC? What additional information would you require to make such a determination? Are the parties sufficiently organised for it to amount to a non-international armed conflict? (GC I-IV, Art. 3 [4]; P II, Art. 1 [5])
3. In addition to the protection granted to the civilian population in general, what special protections are afforded to children in non-international armed conflicts? Does this protection differ from that granted to children in an international armed conflict? Are non-state armed groups such as the FARC obliged to refrain from recruiting them? (P II, Art. 4(3) [6] and 6(4) [7]; CIHL, Rules 135 [8]-137 [9])
4. At what age may a person be recruited into the armed forces of a State? As a fighting member of an armed group? Is there a difference between State forces and non-State armed groups in this respect? If so, when? Based on the law applicable in the case at hand, at what age could the children concerned be recruited? (P I, Art. 77(2) [10]; P II, Art. 4(3)(c) [6]; CIHL, Rules 136 [11]-137 [9]; 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, Art. 38(2) [12]; Optional Protocol on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, Arts 1 [13]-4 [14])
5. The reintegration of former child soldiers in society is at the core of the agreements between the Colombian government and the FARC. Does IHL contain specific provisions on reintegration? Such as provisions that, if complied with, would oblige parties to demobilise and reintegrate former child soldiers? Which ones? How? (PII, Art 4(3)(a) [15]; CIHL rule 135 [16])
Source URL: https://ihl-in-action.icrc.org/case-study/colombia-demobilisation-child-soldiers
[1] http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=53948#.WV-e7ITyiUk
[2] https://es.panampost.com/karina-martin/2016/09/11/menores-de-las-farc/
[3] http://www.eltiempo.com/politica/proceso-de-paz/farc-entregan-menores-de-edad-en-antioquia-64144
[8] https://www.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v1_rul_rule135
[9] https://www.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v1_rul_rule137
[10] https://www.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/Article.xsp?action=openDocument&amp;documentId=8F7D6B2DEE119FBAC12563CD0051E0A2
[15] https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/Article.xsp?action=openDocument&amp;documentId=F9CBD575D47CA6C8C12563CD0051E783
[16] https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v1_rul_rule135