There are reports that children in Colombia as young as 11 years old are forced to cultivate and pick coca, and to scrape coca leaves. The Government, NGOs, media, and the ILO indicate that some children are forcibly recruited by non-state armed groups, such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the National Liberation Army, and criminal groups to pick coca. Others are forced by drug traffickers. Criminal and illegal armed groups use threats of torture or death to prevent children from attempting to escape. 

There is evidence that children between the ages of 5 and 14 work in the harvesting and production of pome and stone fruits in Colombia.  Based on an analysis of the Colombia Great Household Survey – Child Labor Module, an estimated 10,679 children under the minimum age for work are involved in child labor in pome and stone fruits.  The release of this survey demonstrates the Government of Colombia’s commitment to addressing child labor and its acknowledgment that data collection is vital to the design and implementation of sound policies and programs.

There is evidence that children between the ages of 5 and 14 work in the harvesting and production of grapes in Colombia.  Based on an analysis of the Colombia Great Household Survey – Child Labor Module, an estimated 31,834 children under the minimum age for work are involved in child labor in the harvesting and production of grapes.  The release of this survey demonstrates the Government of Colombia’s commitment to addressing child labor and its acknowledgment that data collection is vital to the design and implementation of sound policies and programs.