More than 2,000 boys, girls and adolescents will take part in 10
regional gatherings organized by IOM and the Colombian Family
Welfare Institute (ICBF) to encourage opportunities for developing
personal goals and deter possible recruitment by illegal armed
groups and other forms of violence against minors.

The "Boys, Girls and Adolescents Have the Floor" events,
starting today, will take place in the departments of
Bolívar, Meta, Arauca, Cauca, Chocó, Santander,
Quindío, Nariño, Tolima and Antioquia and will
culminate in a large interregional gathering in November. 

The participants will be encouraged to actively take part in
formulating public policies using inputs and proposals generated
during their discussions.  The proposals will be compiled and
submitted to the Social Policy Councils in each department.

The programme, designed to be a meeting between peers,
emphasizes interaction based on art, sports and participatory
processes that leads to a favorable environment for expression,
reflection and creating social development proposals for boys and
girls.

It is estimated that there could be thousands of minors in the
illegal armed groups in Colombia.  Children frequently join
these groups because they see it as their only option to escape
extreme poverty, lack of opportunities and domestic violence. In
other cases, they join to seek vengeance or seek recognition or are
tricked into joining.

The gatherings, part of IOM's programme Assistance to Former
Combatant Children funded by the governments of Canada, the United
States, Italy and Colombia through ICBF and the Ministry of
Education, also have a prevention component which provides
healthcare and psychosocial support, education, culture and income
generation activities to 3,953 minors who were part of the illegal
armed groups. It also includes prevention activities aimed at
identifying risk and protection factors associated with the
recruitment of minors. 

For more information please contact:

Jorge Andrés Gallo

IOM Colombia

Tel: +57.1.594.6410 Ext. 142

Mobile: +57.311.561.9495

E-mail: "mailto:jgallo@iom.int">jgallo@iom.int