The impact goes beyond the months it lasts. This system has contributed to the normalisation of a militaristic culture that permeates Colombian society by accustoming the population to violence, encouraging blind obedience and diminishing empathy for the suffering of others. The statistics are alarming: high rates of suicides and disappearances in military service. What is most disturbing is how these realities are often hidden under the discourse of "reservation to protect national security".
Many young men who do compulsory military service have given up being sons, brothers or students to become soldiers. And in a country where money for weapons is prioritised over money for education or health, we seem to have decided, as a society, that preparing for war is more important than building lives.
But not all have accepted this as inevitable. Since 1991, the Mennonite Christian Association for Justice, Peace and Nonviolent Action – Justapaz - has walked another path. We are a team that has been telling the country for more than three decades that young people were not born for war. That compulsory military service is not a patriotic duty, but an injustice. And, most importantly, that there is another way to serve the ‘homeland’.
At first, we campaigned for young people to have the right to conscientious objection. A right that seemed impossible in a country where guns have been the official language. But little by little, with perseverance and faith, we managed to open a door. Every young person who said "I'm not going to war" was a step towards change.
In 2016, we decided to go further: to work together with other social, youth and political organisations for the creation of the Social Service for Peace – an alternative service that trades weapons for tools and military discipline for social projects that transform lives. In 2024, our campaign was successful, and the service will be gradually implemented from 2025.
Social Service for Peace is not perfect, and Justapaz knows this. We do not believe that imposing any kind of compulsory service is the ideal solution. But we also believe that this programme is a necessary step towards dismantling compulsory military service. Until young people are free from compulsory service, they will at least have the opportunity to build a more peaceful Colombia.
Imagine this: instead of an 18-year-old learning to shoot a rifle, you see him teaching reading in a rural school. Instead of long days in barracks, you see him helping to build houses in a conflict-affected community. Instead of preparing his mind for war, you see him learning about human rights, about reconciliation, about how to heal wounds that are not just physical. That's Social Service for Peace. It is an opportunity for young people to use their energy, their passion and their talents to build a more just country.
It has not been easy to get this far. For years, proposals to create this service were rejected in the Congress of the Republic. But the arrival of a government committed to Total Peace opened a door. This programme is now codified in law, and more than 200 young people from all regions of the country have gathered in Congress to talk about how to make it a reality. They came with stories, with dreams, with a desire to tell the country that peace is not just a nice word; it is something that can be built, but only if you listen to those who need it most.
And they have not been alone. Mothers have been a pillar in this struggle. They, who know what it means to lose a child in a war that should never have been theirs, have raised their voices with a pain that resonates: "We did not bring children into the world for war". Their words are a reminder that every young person who dies, every life that is lost, leaves a void that is never filled. The Social Service for Peace is, also, a response to their grief. It is a promise that their children can have a different future.
There are still challenges ahead. It must be ensured that this service does not become a trap, that it is not a backdoor to militarism. It must be ensured that those who choose this alternative do not end up enrolled in the army reserves, and the programme must be dignified – with the social and political recognition necessary to be perceived as a valid and valuable option in every sense, not as a second-class or less important option.
But in spite of everything, the Social Service for Peace is an act of hope. It is a way of telling the country that we can be different. As Isaiah says: "they shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore". Every young person who chooses this path is saying that peace is possible, that life is worth more than any war.
Justapaz and youth movements all over Colombia remain steadfast in our work. We are not many, but we are clear about our shared purpose. We know that in a country where war has been the norm, dreaming of peace is the bravest act there is. And we are not alone. There are the mothers, the young people, the communities who know that we cannot continue to sacrifice our youth. Because peace is not imposed; it is built. And in Colombia, we are building it, one step at a time.
