News Note

Colombia: UNICEF welcomes the release of 40 child soldiers

BOGOTA/13 June 2003 - UNICEF welcomes the release of 40 child soldiers in Colombia: UNICEF welcomes the release of 40 child soldiers by one paramilitary group, the AUC (United Self Defence forces) which took place on Wednesday the 12th June.

According to UNICEF, some 7,000 children remain enrolled in illegal armed groups in the country. Some others are engaged in urban militia groups.

Since the second half of 2000, UNICEF has helped to establish -- and is actively participating -- in an inter institutional Committee devoted to child demobilisation. Among the different interventions needed -- beyond advocacy for the immediate release of children recruited in irregular armed groups -- is preparedness in terms of sensitisation, planning and organisation of services to provide demobilised children with suitable opportunities for education and reintegration into society.

To support its humanitarian interventions for the affected children and women in Colombia during 2003, UNICEF outlined a requirement of 3 million USD. So far, about 850, 000 USD has been received.

Several phases need to be undertaken for a successful child soldier demobilisation activity: short term assistance, reintegration into the family and society, psychosocial support and education activity. If these requirements are not met, the child will have a strong tendency to come back to its previous life.

As a result of the armed dispute, the forced displacement of civilians has affected approximately more than 2,200,000 people in the past 15 years, 60% of them being children. In the past 30 months, displacement has been the most intensive in the country's entire history, with about 470,000 people being displaced.

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For further information, please contact:

Damien Personnaz, UNICEF Media, Geneva (41) 022 909 5517, dpersonnaz@unicef.org