Colombia's government must increase efforts to stop armed groups from recruiting children, as it pushes for peace and surrender deals with rebels and crime gangs, think tank International Crisis Group said on Friday, warning recruitment is rising.
Colombian leftist President Gustavo Petro has made "total peace" - an end to almost six decades of conflict which have killed hundreds of thousands - a key policy for his administration.
While violence has declined following ceasefires with four illegal armed groups, such organizations are using this breathing space to further cement themselves in communities across the country, Crisis Group said in a report, including via recruitment of minors.
