21/05/2013 Central Lobby Ahead of his debate today, Labour MP Alex Cunningham argues that the UK’s "routine" practice of recruiting 16 year olds into the armed forces has to stop.
news, information & resources
The information listed in this section covers the most relevant materials relating to our concerns and activities. They include:
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- key reports and research from different sources
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You can also click on the left submenu to see resources and news by category.
browse resources by theme
- adjusting to civilian life (5)
- advice (7)
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- conscientious objection (14)
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- military in schools (15)
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Media news and articles
20/05/2013 Telegraph The Army has launched a campaign to sign up 10,000 new recruits just weeks before thousands of experienced soldiers who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan will lose their jobs.
19/05/2013 Mail on Sunday Sir Nick Harvey describes policy is 'increasingly anachronistic'; Believes 16 and 17-year-olds more likely to die or be seriously wounded; Also claims millions of pounds is wasted due to high drop-out rates
18/05/2013 Independent From the Second World War refusenik to the 19-year-old Israeli, Holly Williams talks to five people who risked shame and suffering to take a stand as conscientious objector.
15/05/2013 Metro Joe Glenton, a former soldier in the British army, has served his country and risked his life in Afghanistan. He’s also been called a coward. The reason? After returning to Britain after his first tour of Afghanistan, he became a conscientious objector (CO) and refused to go back.
23/04/2013 The Telegraph Tens of millions of pounds is wasted on training young soldiers for roles that could be filled more cost effectively by adults, a report has found.
23/04/2013 BBC The "outdated" practice of recruiting 16-year-olds into the Army is wasting up to £94m a year and should stop, two human rights groups have said.
23/04/2013 Open Democracy The Ministry of Defence wastes £94 million every year training minors for army roles which could be filled more cost-effectively by adult recruits, says a new report launched today by human rights groups Child Soldiers International and ForcesWatch.
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latest resources
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July 2012
This report concludes that the impact of recruitment below the age of 18 opens up a number of gaps that have long term significance, not only for the armed forces but also for the young people that they recruit. At a time of considerable downsizing of the army in particular, the large gap between the cost of training minors (who cannot be deployed operationally) and adults (who can) is difficult to sustain. But perhaps the most significant cost is in the detrimental impact that the gaps identified have on the future prospects of minors recruited by our armed forces. Read more >> |
Sept 2012
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May 2012
"We call on the National Assembly to urge the Welsh Government to recommend that the armed forces should not go into schools to recruit. Britain is the only country in the European Union that allows a military presence in its schools. Britain is the only country of the 27 European Union countries to recruit 16-year-old children to the armed forces. The armed forces target their recruitment in schools in the most deprived areas of Wales." Read more >> |
June 2012
Up and down the country on the 30th June street parties, picnics and military tattoos are taking place for Armed Forces Day. Despite the rhetoric of tradition, the day is relatively new to Britain's military history, with the first occurrence taking place in 2009, replacing Veterans' Day, which ran from 2006-2009. Some see the institution of another national occasion relating to the Armed Forces (i.e. in addition to Remembrance Day) as indicative of a growing culture of militarisation across the country. After consultation with parents, teachers and students who are concerned with the unquestioning attitude of acceptance towards the military and their activities in the public sphere, ForcesWatch has produced the following lesson plans and activities for those working in schools and other youth organisations to use, free of charge, with their students or group members. This is a direct response to the materials produced by the Armed Forces for teachers. Read more >> |
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May 2012
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June 2011
These BBC radio programmes explore the effect of killing on people in the military, how many are unable to kill and others live with the effects of having killed for the rest of their lives. Read more >> |
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May 2012
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November 2011
Published by the Quaker United Nations Office in November 2011, this short booklet reflects recent changes in international law and practice that indicates that recognition of conscientious objection to military service as a human right is now stronger than ever. The publication in available in English, French or Spanish. Read more >> |
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Dec 2011
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January 2011
Manual of Service Law (MSL) Version 2.0 January 2011 Read more >> |
The minimum recruitment age for the British armed forces – 16 years – is one of the lowest in the world. The Ministry of Defence has traditionally justified recruiting from this age group by asserting that 16 years reflects the minimum statutory school leaving age.
Contents
This ForcesWatch briefing is for parents, students and teachers concerned with military activities in their school. It looks at:
Facts and figures about the UK armed forces including information on number of personnel, military spending, recruitment, terms of service, conscientious objection, job satisfaction, and risk of death, serious harm and pychiatric harm. All references are fully sourced.
