Recruitment Prevention and Reintegration (RPR) Program in Colombia

The GOC supports demobilized adults through its Colombian Reintegration Agency (ACR), which aims to create conditions for demobilized ex-combatants to become independent citizens, strengthen socio-economic conditions in receptor communities, and promote reconciliation. Demobilized adults and disengaged children receive special attention through programs and policies led by the Colombian Family Welfare Institute (ICBF) through its Specialized Assistance Program. This program aims to reestablish and guarantee rights with special emphasis on protection, education, and health. The ICBF database and the ACR Reintegration Information System (SIR) track the number of demobilized adults and disengaged children, with the majority being boys and men. The data also show that indigenous groups are disproportionately affected by recruitment. The peace accords between the GOC and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) include details for managing the 28 sites where the FARC will gather to lay down their arms over a six-month period. The protocols include provisions for monitoring and verification, governing the ceasefire, requirements and functions of the transitional zones, laying down arms, and general logistics. Each component includes assurances for normal functioning of non-armed social, political, and economic activity in those areas as well as requirements for implementing guidelines with a gendered approach. The ELN, the second largest guerrilla group in Colombia, has continued to engage in violence in various regions of Colombia. The ELN has increased recruitment of children for their ranks as well as narcotrafficking operations in the region. The ELN has also rejected the "essence" of the peace negotiations between the FARC and the GOC, citing concerns over the culpability of the GOC for its "dirty war and terrorism." The ELN has continued to engage in forced displacements of rural inhabitants and has increased its presence in the Colombian-Venezuela border region.