Where are the girl soldiers? Gender and armed conflict in colombia

Abstract

This article discusses the concept of victim and its application in the study of child soldiers, considering a global discussion on the employment of girl soldiers in armed conflicts, since this group has a dual invisibility in the categories of women and children. The theoretical approach of this work is the discussion on victims and childhood. To discuss the application of the concept of victim to the situation of child soldiers, I use reports from international organizations, human rights organizations and secondary sources of ethnographic research with child soldiers in African and Asian countries. To illustrate the issue, a brief discussion is presented of the Colombian conflict using reports from human rights organizations and specialists who have interviewed child soldiers in the country. In Colombia, the voluntary enlistment of girls is a form of empowerment and escape from situations of violence, but violence and discrimination accompany them during their period with the armed group and their reintegration into the Colombian society. Thus, although they must have their status as victims recognized, their voices and experiences must be considered throughout the process to ensure their reintegration and rights. In addition, traditional views of victims fail to recognize their strategies of resistance and empowerment.