Colombia Suspends 7 in Military After Children’s Killings

[Judi Lynn]

Source: New York Times

Colombia Suspends 7 in Military After Children’s Killings
By SIMON ROMERO
Published: November 3, 2010

CARACAS, Venezuela — Colombia’s army has suspended seven officers and soldiers for failing to control their troops in connection with the brutal murders last month of three impoverished children near Colombia’s northeast border with Venezuela.

The killings have stirred outrage among human rights groups in Colombia. Medical examiners determined that one of the children, Yenni Torres, 14, was raped before she was killed. Her body and those of her brothers, Jimmy, 9, and Jefferson, 6, were found on Oct. 14 in a shallow grave near the town of Tame in rural Arauca, a war-torn border region.

One of the suspended officers, Second Lt. Raúl Muñoz, has acknowledged raping Yenni Torres before she was killed, Gen. Alejandro Navas, commander of the army, said Wednesday on Caracol Radio. General Navas said Lieutenant Muñoz had also confessed to having raped a 13-year-old girl in a separate episode near Tame on Oct. 2.

But Lieutenant Muñoz asserted that he was not involved in killing the three Torres children, General Navas said. The authorities in Arauca arrested Lieutenant Muñoz on Wednesday.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/world/americas/04colombia.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

[naaman fletcher]

1. Glad to see Santos ending the culture of impunity.

Colombia is heading in the right direction.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Colombia started prosecutions more seriously in the last couple of years

before Uribe left office.

[Judi Lynn]

2. 19,000 Colombian kids involved in prostitution: Report

19,000 Colombian kids involved in prostitution: Report
Sat, Nov 6 07:05 AM

Bogota, Nov 6 (IANS) Nearly two million children are working as child labourers in Colombia and about 19,000 of them are involved in prostitution, a media report said.

Over half of the two million children are also not being paid, Prensa Latina reported citing a statement from the country's attorney general.

The document was presented at the Third International Workshop on Child Labour being held here.

The attorney general said only seven of the 32 Colombian government departments comply with the policies of protection of minors.

A latest report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has also said that nearly half a million children work in mines in Latin America.

http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20101106/876/twl-19-000-colombian-kids-involved-in-pr_1.html