Los Angeles Times

Natalia Springer is a woman on a mission. I met her on a recent reporting trip to Colombia where I was working on a story about the surge in the recruitment of children into the Farc and other armed groups in Colombia. Springer’s name popped up in a few internet searches.

 

When we finally met in her office one afternoon at a Bogota university where she is the law school dean, it didn’t take long to figure out Springer is probably Colombia’s most knowledgeable person when it comes to child soldiers. She spent well over a year investigating the issue, and interviewing hundreds of guerilla commanders, children, and officials.