On 29 January 2026, GRC co-organised an International Seminar on Technology-Facilitated Crimes Against Children in Bogotá, Colombia, with the Office of the Chief Prosecutor of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, El Colegio de México, and Xavierian Pontifical University. The conference brought together justice actors, academics, and civil society to examine a phenomenon that is urgent, rapidly growing, and globally relevant: namely, the technology-facilitated recruitment and use of children. The event took place as part of a week-long study visit between the Ukrainian prosecution and the Office of the Chief Prosecutor of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace.
Across four panels and interactive discussions, participants examined how this emerging phenomenon operates globally, manifesting in different ways in different contexts. Speakers grounded the discussion in the experiences in Colombia, Ukraine, and Mexico.
In Colombia, the use of social media has had an amplifying effect, increasing rates of child recruitment. Armed groups and organised crime networks use platforms such as TikTok and Facebook to glorify armed life and recruit children and adolescents, with some posts reaching over 4.5 million views. In 2025, 44% of all recruited minors were recruited through social media, highlighting the central role of digital platforms in these practices. There has also been geographical expansion, with recruitment documented in municipalities that had not previously experienced this phenomenon.
In Ukraine, children are increasingly exposed to technology-facilitated risks in the context of the ongoing war, with platforms like Telegram being used to groom minors into war-related activities such as arson of military objects and deploying improvised explosive devices. Children have been sent money through crypto wallets, and some have been coerced by being blackmailed and threatened.
Prosecutors from the Department for the Protection of Children’s Interests and Combating Domestic Violence (Juvenile Justice Department) of the Ukrainian Office of the Prosecutor General shared insights and practice from ongoing investigations into the use of Telegram and other online tools and explained the child-friendly practices that are in place and actively used in such cases to reduce the harm to such children. Dr. Rymma Yurchenko and Dr. Anna Kozlova of the All-Ukrainian Civic Centre “Volunteer” presented their work on support and correctional initiatives for affected children and families, drawing particular attention to mental health impacts on children and their families.
In Mexico, criminal actors exploit social media and messaging apps to target children, with tens of thousands affected by digital recruitment campaigns. Studies have revealed how new methods of communication – through songs, emojis, and hashtags – are deployed to reach children, and how algorithms create “organised crime filter bubbles” that encourage engagement.
The Seminar was enriched by multidisciplinary experts across these three contexts, including civil society, national prosecutors, transitional justice practitioners, and academics. Importantly, the Seminar included the voices of victims and survivor communities who spoke of the impact on children and the need for holistic, victim-centred responses.
Key Takeaways:
- Recruitment and use of children is being accelerated by the use of technology by armed groups and criminal actors. Tactics include offering financial rewards and romanticising life within armed groups.
- Recruiters prey on children’s vulnerabilities, such as unstable family circumstances, poverty and other unmet needs. Recruitment often starts with a (false) promise of care, protection and belonging.
- There is a lack of safe exit routes for children who have been recruited, and many fear punishment and stigmatisation. Recruited children face trauma, normalisation of violence and dehumanisation.
- Digital recruitment is reproducing binary gender stereotypes. Across the contexts, patterns have been observed, including male children and adolescents being targeted with sexualised images of young women; young women being blackmailed to commit violent acts with threats of private and intimate images being released; and young women being targeted with promises of beauty and cosmetic procedures.
- Recruitment and use of children through social media affects whole communities and social fabrics. Responses must take a whole-of-society approach, working with communities and families. Children’s feelings of belonging within society were repeatedly highlighted as critical to combating recruitment.
The Seminar issued a clear international call to action — the time to act is now. States, armed groups, and criminal actors are highly organised and increasingly prepared to deploy technology to pursue their objectives. We must match this level of coordination with strong international partnerships and collective action to improve legal frameworks, invest in prevention and early intervention, address risk factors, and demand accountability.
Above all, our efforts must remain victim-centred. Children and survivors must have meaningful control over the processes that affect them, with their rights, dignity, and voices placed at the heart of every response.
GRC continues to support justice actors, advance accountability, and protect children from emerging threats in digital and conflict-affected contexts, applying international legal expertise and collaborative solutions across borders.
MJTs work as part of Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group for Ukraine (ACA), a multilateral initiative established by the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United States to support and assist Ukrainian law enforcement and prosecutors in investigating and prosecuting international crimes committed during a full-scale war.