All articles

Sat

Feb

2023

JROTC Is Preying on Poor Students

Submitted by nnomy

Thu

Mar

Guns assembled in the UK may be arming child soldiers, says report

Submitted by antimili-youth on Thu, 02/03/2017 - 15:34

Rifles and submachine guns assembled in the UK could be exported for use in conflicts involving child soldiers, according to a report by European children’s charities.

The report accuses Heckler & Koch (H&K) – a German company that is among the world’s largest producers of small arms – of sidestepping obstacles to exports at home by using its subsidiary in the UK, where a “lack of transparency” has frustrated attempts to scrutinise arms deals.

Read the full article here.

This is an article by Ben Knight and Ben Quinn which appears on the Guardian.

Tue

Feb

The US Military, Like Ancient Rome's, Is Trying to Secure a Dying Empire

Submitted by Gary on Tue, 28/02/2017 - 19:14

Recruiters from the Harrisburg Recruiting Company assisted with the Youth and Education Services (Y.E.S.) October 8, 2010, at the Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pennsylvania. (Photo: Christine June / Harrisburg US Army Recruiting Batallion)

By Mark Karlin

Delving into the underbelly of the US military, longtime antiwar activist Pat Elder reveals how military recruiters are assisted by the Department of Education, the film industry, the video game industry and mainstream media in order to fuel never-ending war -- using the country's most vulnerable young people as fodder. Get the book Military Recruiting in the United States by donating to Truthout now!

Thu

Feb

How German guns often end up in child soldiers' hands

Submitted by antimili-youth on Thu, 23/02/2017 - 19:03

A new report by the German Alliance for Child Soldiers and other non-profits found that there are currently around 250,000 child soldiers in at least 20 conflict-ridden countries who are forced to spy, fight, carry supplies and even be sex slaves. And often German arms end up in these child soldiers’ hands.

“The study proves that Germany delivers small weapons of the deadliest kind to many conflict regions - also those where child soldiers are deployed, for example in the Middle East, India, Pakistan or the Philippines,” said Ralf Willinger, children’s rights expert and spokesman for the child soldiers alliance, in a statement.

“Germany is thus jointly responsible for the escalation of armed conflicts and the suffering of children in these countries.”

Thu

Feb

Nigeria: Boko Haram - 2,000 Children Recruited Used As Child Soldiers - Unicef

Submitted by antimili-youth on Thu, 23/02/2017 - 17:32

According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), Nigeria's Boko Haram militants recruited about 2,000 children in 2016 and used them as child soldiers.

As world leaders gathered in Paris for a conference on the protection of children in armed conflict, UNICEF Executive Director, Anthony Lake said "nearly 2,000 children were recruited by Boko Haram, in Nigeria and neighbouring countries, last year alone, and there have been nearly 1,500 cases of child recruitment in Yemen since the conflict escalated in March 2015."

The UNICEF chief said according to estimates there are tens of thousands under the age of 18 being used in conflicts worldwide today.

Mon

Feb

Army Cadet Force units ruled out at Scottish state schools

Submitted by antimili-youth on Mon, 20/02/2017 - 17:52

ARMY cadet units will not be permitted to operate in state schools north of the Border, the Scottish Government has confirmed.

Ministers said there was no change to the long-standing policy in Scotland that units could not be based at council-run schools.

The intervention came after UK defence minister Sir Michael Fallon suggested he wanted more units to be allowed in Scotland during a discussion about a pilot project at Maxwelltown High School, in Dumfries.

Read the full article here.

Tue

Jan

Asian Youth Consider Political Career Despite Barriers

Submitted by antimili-youth on Tue, 24/01/2017 - 12:28

By Peera Songkunnatham

“I have to become a politician,” said Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, a university student well-known in Thailand for his outspoken criticism of Thai schooling. “Even though I’ve given multiple interviews saying that I didn’t want to become a politician at all; I actually hated politicians. But I’ve changed my mind.”

Running against the current of political apathy and disillusionment among youth, Chotiphatphaisal is part of a new wave of youth in Asia considering running for public office to effect change. These young people articulate a willingness to engage in formal politics, but also a need to reform the political system from within.

But first they must overcome the many social and legal barriers in their countries, restrictions on participation that are often rooted in age, gender, and ethnic discrimination.

Tue

Jan

Do you really want to do what counts? German recruitment and the dangerously silent opposition

Submitted by antimili-youth on Tue, 17/01/2017 - 16:38

By David Scheuing*

Fri

Jan

Opposition mounts to German military advertising campaign

Submitted by hannah on Fri, 13/01/2017 - 15:01

Almost every large German city now features signs and billboards praising the services of the German military (Bundeswehr) and calling on people to do their “duty.” In many bus, tram and underground stations, as well as at schools, universities and education centres, the Bundeswehr has been campaigning with provocative slogans like “Do something that really counts” and “You can’t solve crises by hanging around and drinking tea.”

Read the full story on the World Socialist Web Site...

Thu

Jan

SNP Youth disappointed as party MPs block military recruitment motion

Submitted by hannah on Thu, 12/01/2017 - 18:30

SNP National Council knocks back motion on raising age of military recruitment

SNP YOUTH LEADERS have called on a number of their party's leading MPs to rethink opposition to raising the age of British military recruitment from 15 to 18.

Read more at Common Space...

Thu

Jan

Teachers' Union poster questioning military recruitment draws fire

Submitted by hannah on Thu, 12/01/2017 - 18:10

Veterans, military members, and even some teachers are expressing outrage at a B.C. Teachers’ Federation poster discouraging military recruitment.

The poster calls recruiting a “social justice issue,” and encourages teachers to ask their boards to ban recruiting in schools.

Languages

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.