On July 1, the Colombian army said that at least 118 members have been investigated since 2016 for involvement in sex crimes and sexual abuse against minors. Two days later, it announced that 31 members were fired due to participation in the aforementioned abuse, leaving the total number of soldiers fired since 2016 at 45.

“Thirty-one members were removed from the institution: 12 sub-officials and 19 soldiers. This administrative measure was taken in accordance with legal norms that regulate personnel and by decision of the head of the national army.”

Statement from the Colombian army

Although 31 were fired on Friday, the total number of soldiers and army officials who have lost their job because of these investigations since 2016 stands at 45.

Earlier this week, there were numerous protests all over Colombia after soldiers had been publicly accused of raping two indigenous girls. Both of the girls were minors.

Those who lost their jobs on Friday were part of the 118 soldiers that have been investigated since 2016. All who were fired will face disciplinary and criminal investigations, both of which could land them in prison; these investigations are being carried out by the attorney general and procurator’s offices, according to General Eduardo Zapateiro.

The investigations stemmed from several accusations coming from women all over Colombia who have been continually demanding justice for the minors who have suffered this abuse.

One case describes the alleged sexual abuse of an indigenous girl in Risaralda province. Last week, seven soldiers were arrested in connection to this case, with all seven and three of their superiors being fired. Two senior officials were also re-assigned to other stations following the arrests.

Last weekend, another case was revealed. Allegedly, a young girl was sexually abused by several soldiers and was held at an army site in the jungle in Guaviare province for days on end, without any access to food and water.

The 15-year-old girl was reportedly abducted from the Nukak Maku tribe and was then held for five days under the previously mentioned circumstances, according to the Peace and Reconciliation Foundation.

Human Rights Watch has also stated that these assaults were not one-time incidents, saying that it possesses information on cases that involve the abuse of at least nine other victims from indigenous tribes.

The Colombian army has approximately 240,000 members and opposes the leftist guerrillas and crime gangs that were established by former members of right-wing paramilitary organizations. It is also the largest recipient of U.S. military aid and expected to receive around $180 million USD this year in funding.

For five years now, human rights groups and victims have accused the army of violating their fundamental rights. The army maintains that there is not a systemic effort in place to protect members who participate in sexual violence against minors, and that all soldiers receive human rights training.

When speaking on the matter, General Zapateiro failed to specify the amount of cases that all 118 officials had been involved in, and did not discuss any allegations of sexual harassment that were made by female soldiers in last months.

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