conscription

Mon

Apr

2016

Statement in solidarity with the conscientious objectors of Bolivia for ANOOC, Colombia

New translation available

Submitted by hannah

This year on the 22nd of March, the Bolivian Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal (PCT) rejected the right of conscientious objection as an alternative to its obligatory military service. This has occurred in spite of the generally agreed-upon...

Sat

Jan

Dozens of Israeli teens: 'We refuse to enlist out of a commitment to peace'

Submitted by antimili-youth on Sat, 06/01/2018 - 17:24

Haggai Matar, +972 Magazine

‘Testimonies of former soldiers teach us that the reality of occupation does not allow one to make a difference from within. The power to change reality does not lay with the single soldier — but with the system as a whole.’

Sixty-three Israeli teenagers have published an open letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu on Thursday, declaring their refusal to join the Israeli army due to their opposition to the occupation.

Fri

Dec

International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth held for the fourth time

Submitted by antimili-youth on Fri, 15/12/2017 - 20:34

In 20-26 November 2017, many activists from around the world took action against the militarisation of young people in their countries, cities and towns. This was part of a global action: the International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth.

Initiated by War Resisters' International, the week was held for the 4^th time this year. Throughout 20-26 November, groups from South Korea, Greece, Israel to the USA and many other places, organised their autonomous actions, workshops, vigils and other events. Touching upon various issues, activists raised awareness on, and challenged, those many ways young people's minds and bodies are recruited into war and violence.

Wed

Nov

Youth militarisation in Finland

Submitted by antimili-youth on Wed, 22/11/2017 - 15:53

Tuuli Vuori from Aseistakieltäytyjäliitto AKL (the Union of Conscientious Objectors, Finland) tells us about their counter-recruitment work in #Finland and calls everyone to join the action during the International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth.

Youth militarisation in Finland

Mon

Nov

This week is the International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth

Submitted by antimili-youth on Mon, 20/11/2017 - 14:59

This week (20-26 November) is the International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth. During the week activists from various countries will be taking actions and organising events to raise awareness of how the military and military values are promoted to young people, and how we can challenge it.

In Czech Republic, NESEHNUTÍ is organising a screening of the movie “Výchova k válce” (Education for War), followed by a panel session on the militarisation of education in the country.

In Israel, activists from the Mesarvot network - a solidarity network supporting political conscientious objectors in Israel - is organising a demonstration in Tel Aviv in support of the young refuser, Matan Hellman, who's declaring his conscientious objection on 20th November.

Mon

Oct

Bermuda: Government revealed plans to end conscription

Submitted by antimili-youth on Mon, 09/10/2017 - 16:27

The newly elected Bermudian Government is planning to end military conscription, a government official revealed at a speech last month.

Speaking on behalf of the new Progressive Labour Party government, Governor John Rankin said: “The Government will amend the Defence Act 1965 in consultation with the Governor to officially end conscription to the Royal Bermuda Regiment within this legislative session.”

The Royal Bermuda Regiment has not used conscription for two years and relied on volunteers instead after the previous One Bermuda Alliance (OBA) government suspended mandatory call-ups.

However, it didn't mean total abolishment of conscription in the country. The Defence Amendment Bill, issued by the previous OBA government in 2015, still allowed mandatory call-ups “when voluntary enlistment leaves a shortfall in the required number of members”.

Fri

Sep

A call to action: 4th International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth, November 20-26

Submitted by antimili-youth on Fri, 22/09/2017 - 14:19

This November, activists from all around the world are taking action against the militarisation of young people in their countries, cities and towns.

Join us in this week with your own nonviolent actions, and be part of this global movement resisting the recruitment of young people's minds and bodies into violence.

The International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth is a concerted effort of antimilitarist actions across the world to raise awareness of the many ways in which violence is promoted to young people, and to give voice to alternatives. The week is coordinated by War Resisters' International.

Thu

Aug

Bolivia: 'Voluntary' conscription of 17 year-olds and plans for substitute service

Submitted by antimili-youth on Thu, 17/08/2017 - 19:32

Plans for an alternative 'Social Action Service' have been announced by the Bolivian Ministry of Defence. An amendment to the Military Service Law will be proposed to the President this month. Currently, no substitute to military service exists.

In other changes announced in May, a new military service law sanctioned the recruitment of 17 year olds - a kind of 'voluntary' conscription, open to those who give their consent, and also have the consent of parents or guardians. This follows the 2016 Constitutional Court decision which declared a previous attempt at lowering the recruitment age to 17 'unconstitutional'.

At the same time, they extended voluntary conscription to women. Incidentally, Bolivia remain the only State in Latin America to admit trans* people to the military.

Mon

Aug

Israel: Conscientious objector Noa Gur Golan imprisoned

Submitted by antimili-youth on Mon, 07/08/2017 - 17:05

Conscientious objector Noa Gur Golan, 19, from Israel was sentenced to 30 days in military prison for her refusal to serve in the military. She has already spent 14 days behind bars last month, after refusing to enlist for the first time.

When her sentence will be over, Gur-Golan will refuse again and probably be sentenced to another term in prison.

Tue

Jul

Israel: Atalia Ben-Abba exempted from conscription

Submitted by antimili-youth on Tue, 04/07/2017 - 14:59

Conscientious objector Atalia Ben-Abba has been exempted from military service after spending 110 days in military prison for her refusal to join army. Ben-Abba's release was on grounds of unsuitability, after her request to be recognized as a conscientious objector was rejected.

In her statement following her release, Ben-Abba said “The army can call the waiver [from mandatory conscription] whatever it wants, but the fact of the matter remains that it gave me a waiver as a result of my simple refusal to participate in a system that uses violent means to oppress another people, which has imposed an occupation upon it for 50 years, and is imposing a siege, the consequences of which are yet to be seen.”

Fri

Jun

Recording of webinar: Educating for peace and conscientious objection in South Korea

Submitted by antimili-youth on Fri, 30/06/2017 - 16:14

On 25th May, War Resisters' International organised a webinar on conscientious objection, peace education and countering youth militarisation in South Korea. In the webinar, we had presentations from two Seoul-based peace campaigners: Hanui Choi, Coordinator and Peace Education Facilitator at PEACE MOMO, and Seungho Park, a conscientious objector and an activist from World without War.

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Countering Military Recruitment

WRI's new booklet, Countering Military Recruitment: Learning the lessons of counter-recruitment campaigns internationally, is out now. The booklet includes examples of campaigning against youth militarisation across different countries with the contribution of grassroot activists.

You can order a paperback version here.