From the classroom to the frontline – schools must be careful what they teach kids about the army
Jonathan Parry, University of Birmingham When you think of child soldiers, it might conjure up images of young children far away, taken from their homes and forced to take part in war and fighting, often held against their will. It may surprise you then to learn the UK employs child soldiers – about 23% of army personnel were recruited before their 18th birthday . By recruiting 16-year-olds, the UK is an international outlier, an honour it shares with Iran, North Korea, and Zimbabwe. No other member of the EU or NATO, or permanent member of UN Security Council, recruits so young. This policy has earned criticism from humanitarian organisations – including the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child . And the UK public seems to agree – nearly 80% think the age of enlistment should be at least 18 . And yet this is something the UK government arguably wants to see more of. A recently published government report on military recruitment, by the MP Mark Francois , wa...