Colombian drug gangs recruiting children through social media to pilot drones
A Human Rights Watch report reveals that Colombian armed groups are increasingly using social media to recruit children for dangerous tasks, including piloting explosive-laden drones. This trend has emerged as smaller criminal factions compete for control over rural territories.
Why it matters
The exploitation of children in armed conflict and the use of emerging technology for violence represent a significant humanitarian and security crisis in Colombia.
Colombian drug gangs and rebel groups are increasingly recruiting children and training them for dangerous roles, including piloting drones loaded with explosives, Human Rights Watch said in a report published Monday.The rights watchdog said armed groups were using social media to lure children as they expanded their control over rural areas where they profit from drug trafficking, extortion and illegal mining.“Armed groups in Colombia are recruiting children with impunity,” Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch told news agency AP, warning that weak protection systems and social media platforms were making recruitment easier.Child recruitment is rising againAt least 1,500 children have been recruited by armed groups in Colombia since 2021, according to the country’s Human Rights Defenders’ Office.
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