Colombia has been living with armed conflict for more than sixty years. For every young man who turns 18, that reality has carried 12 to 18 months of compulsory military service, whether they believe in it or not. And the consequences have been serious. Suicide rates among recruits have reached alarming levels. Advocates have long argued that forcing young people into military structures doesn't just scar individuals - it normalises violence as a rite of passage for an entire generation.

Our partner, Justapaz - the Mennonite Christian Association for Justice, Peace and Nonviolent Action - has worked against this injustice since 1991. For years, they campaigned for the right to conscientious objection, working with youth organisations as well as directly with mothers who know what it means to lose a child to war. Then in 2016, together with other like-minded organisations, they went further: pushing for the creation of a Social Service for Peace that would give young Colombians a genuine alternative - the chance to direct their energy toward their communities rather than toward combat.

Nearly a decade of advocacy later, it has finally happened. In 2025, the Social Service for Peace began to be implemented. An 18-year-old in Colombia can now mark this significant birthday not by learning to fire a rifle, but by choosing to teach literacy in a rural school, or work on a community project that builds rather than destroys.

No system of compulsory service is ideal, and the work of dismantling militarism doesn't end here. But what Justapaz achieved is something profound: they have carved out space - legal, recognised space - for young Colombians to say that peace is not a weakness, and that serving your country can mean something other than taking up arms.