Child "warriors" are recruited to the front lines

The Colombian Pro-Family Institute which produced it said unwanted pregnancy and a lack of healthcare were also by-products of the 37-year civil conflict.

The war has displaced an estimated five million people as the army, guerrillas and right-wing paramilitaries fight for control of the country.

Victims

But women and children have been the worst-hit victims - sexually abused, left alone after their menfolk were killed, without education and with almost no state social security to help them.

One of the greatest problems facing the displaced women is adolescent pregnancy, said the report, with three out of 10 girls between 13 and 19 with a child or pregnant.

Rape too is an all too frequent part of the lives of these women and children - one out of five displaced women have been raped, a significant percentage by their husbands or companions.

Alarming statistics

Even more alarming is the statistic that 8% of children have been raped before they reach the age of 14.

Human rights groups here are campaigning to bring attention to this, the most vulnerable sector of Colombian society.

But the Colombian Government is broke and, with other more pressing matters like fighting the civil conflict, has not the time or resources to help them, and every day more are displaced.