It is estimated that there are over 100,000 child soldiers in the world. And I say "estimated" because it is an illicit activity that armies and armed groups try to conceal.

In any case, according to verified data from "Child Soldier International," while the number of boys associated with armed groups has doubled in recent years, the number of girls linked to armed groups has multiplied by more than four since 2012. And a 40% increase in sexual violence against them has been detected.

We are talking about girls and boys aged between 6 and 18 who are associated with armed groups and engage in activities ranging from cooking or nursing to open combat, laying mines, or attacking military targets.

But the case of girls is particularly serious because, in addition to these roles, they can also be subjected to sexual slavery or continuous sexual assaults resulting in sometimes incurable wounds, serious illnesses, and children who society almost always rejects as "enemy offspring."

Many of these girls are forced to marry commanders and sometimes pass from hand to hand as their "husbands" die. But then, when they return home, they are sometimes forced to return to their new "families," with their husbands, out of fear, shame, or an inability to care for themselves.

These girls are invisible, and even their captors are not interested in them being known: the recruitment of these girls is already a war crime, but it is compounded by others such as physical and sexual assaults or sexual slavery, which are also war crimes.

In the processes of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of combatants, girls are usually the last to be released, preferably informally, in the shadows, out of sight. Sometimes the girls themselves prefer this to avoid the ostracism they are often subjected to in their communities of origin, being seen as promiscuous, aggressive, and in any case, "masculine." But on the other hand, this means they won't be able to benefit from the assistance that the peace process may offer for their reintegration into society. And this worsens their situation even further.

Thus, girls with severe traumas and physical and psychological wounds, without the support of the state and facing rejection from their own families and communities, fade away in distant places where they struggle to rebuild a life that is very difficult to adapt to, in an environment that is at best hostile to a girl with these characteristics.

For all these reasons, let us not allow ourselves to forget, once again, the tragic situation of these girls on the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers. Let us call on international organizations to protect them before, during, and after their involvement with armed groups. Let us urge the media to put a face on this reality, making them and the situation they endure visible. Let humanitarian organizations make efforts to extract them from these armed groups and include them in support processes specially designed for them. And let the international community enforce the rules that protect these girls, ensuring measures for the prevention and punishment of recruitment, enlistment, and use of child soldiers.