Colombia sees surge in violence against children and schools

In Bogotá, city officials reported a sharp rise in violence affecting children. From 2020 to 2025, deaths of children under ICBF protection rose 46 %. Between January and May 2026, intrafamily violence cases grew 34.7 % year‑on‑year, with the under‑11 age group up 51.8 % to 3,244 incidents. Councilwoman María Clara Name Ramírez said the police recorded 3,681 cases from January to June, roughly 20 minors victimised each day, or one case per hour.

A separate report by the Norwegian Refugee Council documented that more than 12,000 students and teachers were affected by armed‑group attacks in Colombia during the first half of 2026. Sixty‑one incidents occurred across seven departments, averaging an attack every three days. Four in ten attacks targeted routes to schools, and six in ten took place inside school facilities, especially in Norte de Santander, Chocó and Cauca. The report highlighted school occupations, use of explosives, forced recruitment of minors and assaults on staff, with victims describing armed men forcing a student to perform sexual acts for money.