​The UN office in Colombia warned that the number of murdered human rights defenders could increase in the coming days. | Photo: coeuropa.org.co

United Nations, January 13 (RHC)-- The UN Office for Human Rights in Colombia revealed on Wednesday that at least 78 human rights defenders were killed in the South American country during 2021.

According to the UN office in Colombia from January 1st to December 31, 2021, 202 allegations of killings of human rights defenders were reported.  Of these, it has verified 78 cases, 39 cases are in the process of verification and 85 cases are inconclusive, said the international organization.

The organization clarified that the number of murders of human rights defenders does not represent the total number of murders in Colombia, but only the cases that have been received and verified.

Breaking down the information, the UN Office indicated that of the total murdered eight were women and five of them were indigenous. Of the 70 men, six belonged to Afro communities and six were indigenous.

According to the report published on Wednesday, the highest number of homicides against defenders occurred in the department of Valle del Cauca, where 31 were killed, five of them in the capital Cali.

Meanwhile in Cauca, eleven were killed, three of them in the town of Argelia, which is constantly besieged by illegal armed groups.

The UN Human Rights Office documented that six defenders were murdered in Antioquia, while in Chocó and Cundinamarca, there were five each.

In the department of Norte de Santander, bordering Venezuela, another four defenders were reported murdered.

The organization said that of the 39 crimes that are still being verified, most occurred in Cauca (8), Nariño (6), Antioquia (5), Putumayo and Bolivar (4) and Valle del Cauca (3).

The UN also warned on Wednesday that the child population in Colombia is the main victim of the social and armed conflict in the country, despite the fact that the number of crimes against minors decreased after the signing of the Peace Accords.

According to the report published by the agency, at least 220 minors were recruited by irregular armed groups during the period from July 2019 to June last year.

In this sense, civil society organizations in Colombia urged to deepen peace talks between the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army, seeking to cease violent crimes including the recruitment of children and adolescents.