Media news & articles

Alex Cunningham MP: Stop armed forces recruiting children
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.

recruitment age
Army launch recruitment drive for 10,000 new young soldiers ahead of redundancies
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.

recruitment
Last of the boy soldiers? Bid to end centuries of tradition by banning the Army from recruiting under-18s
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

recruitment age
The price of pacifism: Refusing to go to war is finally being recognised as a brave act
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.

conscientious objection
Conscientious objector Joe Glenton on being jailed for refusing to fight
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.

conscientious objection
Millions 'wasted' on junior army recuits, report claims
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.

recruitment age
Army recruitment at 16 'should stop'
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The "outdated" practice of recruiting 16-year-olds into the Army is wasting up to £94m a year and should stop, two human rights groups have said.

recruitment age
Recruiting British soldiers at 16 isn't just morally wrong. It's bad economics
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.

recruitment age
Nuclear Weapons and Militarisation in the UK
28/03/2013 ForcesWatch

A society has to be militarised for a government to justify the development and maintenance of nuclear weapons to its citizens; militarisation creates a culture of acceptance. It popularises military euphemisms such as ‘Defence’, ‘Security’, and – particularly relevant to nuclear weapons – ‘deterrent’, and makes it hard to for those challenging these to be seen as credible.

military in society
Combat soldiers more likely to commit violent crimes: study
15/03/2013 Reuters

British soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan - particularly young men and those who have seen active combat - are more likely to commit violent crimes than their civilian counterparts, according to research published on Friday.

recruitment age, risks

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