Tri-Service

Armed Forces Told To 'Stop Recruiting Children'

Teenagers who enlist in the Armed Forces are at a "significant risk and disadvantage", according to human rights campaigners.

Child Soldiers International say recruits under the age of 18 had left education early and were "actively sought" for more dangerous infantry roles.

In an open letter to the Ministry of Defence, the charity called for an immediate end to the recruitment of under-18s. It said:

"Most of the world now recognises that the recruitment of children for military purposes is detrimental to their best interests and is not appropriate in modern armed forces."

"In British society, the law safeguards children by proscribing choices that entail significant risks until they turn 18, the legal age of majority. It is therefore incongruous that the British armed forces still enlist personnel at age 16 and accept applications from age 15.

"Premature enlistment can also bring significant risk and disadvantage."

The charity claimed around one third of 16 and 17-year-olds who join the military leave during their training, meaning they are at a higher risk of unemployment and mental health problems.

The letter to defence minister Penny Mordaunt is co-signed by 20 bodies including Amnesty International and Unicef UK.

The Ministry of Defence said the military provided a "challenging and constructive education" for young people, who could only join under the age of 18 with consent of their parents or guardians.

However, the programme manager at Child Soldiers International said:

"The Ministry of Defence claims that targeting disadvantaged and often vulnerable young people for premature enlistment is in their best interests. Children's rights experts at the UN and across the UK are unanimous in stating that it is not."

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said:

"As part of our duty of care to our recruits no young person under the age of 18 years may join our armed forces without the formal written consent of their parent or guardian, nor do they deploy on operations until they reach 18 years of age."

"We take pride in the fact our armed forces provide challenging and constructive education, training, and employment opportunities for young people, equipping them with valuable skills."

Soldiers must serve at least four years in the Army but those who join when they are under 18 must serve a minimum of four years from their 18th birthday, something Child Soldiers International claimed "would be unlawful in civilian life".