Colombia changes Constitution amid allegations of child rape by soldiers
By Tatiana Arias and Stefano Pozzebon, CNN
Updated 7:24 PM ET, Thu July 23, 2020
A woman wears a face mask as she takes part in a protest on July 3 outside an army barracks over the alleged rape of indigenous girls by members of the Colombian army.
(CNN)Colombia has introduced the possibility of a lifetime jail sentence for the rape or murder of children, following shocking allegations of child sexual assault by members of the military.
President Ivan Duque signed the constitutional reform on Wednesday, saying its purpose was "the unrestricted defense of the children of Colombia."
The move -- already approved by Congress -- marks a historic shift in the Colombian penal code.
Until now, jailing for life was not a penalty for any crime in Colombia. Under the reform, the prohibition on 'life imprisonment" in Article 34 of the constitution is lifted and lawmakers have a year to set new sentencing guidelines for cases of child rape and murder.
The change followed revelations that dozens of members of the armed forces allegedly abused minors over a four-year period.
Allegations in June of two separate cases of soldiers sexually assaulting indigenous girls snowballed this month into a national scandal.
More:
https://us.cnn.com/2020/07/23/americas/colombia-military-child-sex-abuse-intl/index.html
