Mandatory National Service: Creating Generations of Civic Minded Citizens Andrew M
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Legislation Factsheet: Conscientious Objection
UNITED STATES COMMISSION on INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM FACTSHEET August 2020 CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION Gayle Manchin By Kirsten Lavery, Supervisory Policy Analyst Chair Tony Perkins Vice Chair Overview Anurima Bhargava Conscientious objection to military service is frequently connected to freedom of Vice Chair religion or belief, as many conscientious objectors are motivated by deeply-held religious beliefs. To protect the rights of these individuals, some states maintain laws Commissioners that exempt them from compulsory military service. Often, objectors are required to Gary Bauer participate in an alternative national service. James W. Carr Although the right to conscientious objection is recognized under international human Frederick A. Davie rights law, a number of governments do not have provisions for conscientious objection to military service. When this right is not recognized in states with mandatory military Nadine Maenza service, conscientious objectors may face prison time for their beliefs. Johnnie Moore Nury Turkel Eritrea – No right to conscientious objection: Despite the signing of historic peace agreement with Ethiopia in 2018, the law in Eritrea still requires all citizens Erin D. Singshinsuk to perform national service between the ages of 14 and 50 with limited exceptions. Executive Director The requirement includes 18 months of military service and training for those deemed fit. In practice, service often extends beyond 18 months. Thelaw does not provide for conscientious objection status for religious reasons, and there are no alternatives for objectors who are willing to perform alternative civilian USCIRF’s Mission service. Hundreds of Eritreans are believed to remain religious prisoners of conscience, including Jehovah’s Witnesses imprisoned for exercising their beliefs and conscientiously objecting to military service. -
Norway: Defence 2008
Norwegian Defence 2008 Norwegian Defence 2008 2 CONTENT NORWEGIAN SECURITY And DEFEncE POLICY 4 1. Security Policy Objectives 5 Defence Policy Objectives 5 2. Defence Tasks 6 3. Areas of Government Focus 7 4. International Cooperation 8 UN 8 NATO 9 EU 10 Nordic cooperation 11 5. National Cooperation 12 DEFEncE STRUCTURE And AcTIVITIES 14 1. Constitutional Division of Responsibility in Norway 15 2. The Strategic Leadership of the Armed Forces 15 The Ministry Of Defence 16 3. The Defence Agencies 17 The Norwegian Armed Forces 17 4. The Norwegian Armed Forces 18 5. The Service Branches 19 The Norwegian Army 19 The Royal Norwegian Navy 20 Royal Norwegian Air Force 21 Home Guard 22 6. Personnel Policy 23 7. National Service 23 8. Materiel and Investments 24 Overview of Forces Engaged in International Operations 25 SUppLEMENt – THE FACTS 26 1. The Defence Budget 27 2. International Operations 27 3. Ranks and Insignia 28 4. Non-Governmental Organisations 29 5. Addresses 32 Norwegian Security and Defence Policy 4 1. SECURITY POLICY OBJECTIVES The principal objective of Norwegian security policy is to safeguard and promote national security policy interests. This is best achieved by contributing to peace, security and stability both in areas adjacent to Norway and in the wider world. Nationally Norway must be in a position to uphold its sovereignty and sove- reign rights and to exercise authority in order to safeguard our interests. At the same time, the progress of globalisation means that geo- graphical distance is no longer a determining factor for potential threats to our security. -
Economic and Social Council
UNITED NATIONS E Distr. Economic and GENERAL Social Council E/CN.4/1997/99 16 January 1997 Original: ENGLISH COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Fifty•third session Item 23 of the provisional agenda THE QUESTION OF CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION TO MILITARY SERVICE Report of the Secretary•General prepared pursuant to Commission resolution 1995/83 CONTENTS Paragraphs Page Introduction ....................... 1 • 5 3 I. SUMMARY OF INFORMATION RECEIVED ......... 6 • 47 4 A. Existence of conscription .......... 6 • 15 4 B. Liability for service ............ 16 • 19 5 C. Length of service .............. 20 • 22 6 D. Recognition of conscientious objection .... 23 • 33 7 E. Known cases of conscientious objection .... 34 • 37 9 F. Alternative and development service ..... 38 • 40 9 G. Possible penalties for refusal to perform military service ............... 41 • 44 11 H. Dissemination of information on conscientious objection ........... 45 • 47 11 GE.97•10207 (E) E/CN.4/1997/99 page 2 CONTENTS ( continued ) Paragraphs Page II. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ......... 48 • 54 12 Annexes I. Summary of information available on conscription, conscientious objection to military service, and alternative service ................... 14 II. Listing of countries or territories according to their situation with regard to conscription and alternative service ................... 52 III. Information on the question of asylum .......... 55 E/CN.4/1997/99 page 3 Introduction 1. In its resolution 1995/83 of 8 March 1995 the Commission on Human Rights appealed to States, if -
International Volunteer Day 2016 – Youth Volunteering for Sdgs
Celebrating International Volunteer Day 2016 – Youth Volunteering for SDGs 5th December 2016 UNDP, 55-Lodhi Estate, New Delhi International Volunteer Day 2016 – Youth Volunteering for SDGs Contents Background 3 Objective of International Volunteer Day 2016 3 IVD 2016 - Agenda 4 OPENING SESSION 5 SHOWCASING INNOVATIVE ACTION UNDER SDGs 6 1. Pravah 6 2. Restless Development 7 3. Swechha 7 4. Commutiny the Youth Collective 8 WORLD CAFÉ ON YOUTH VOLUNTEERING AND SDGS 10 Swechha - SDG 13, 14 and 15 11 Restless Development - SDG 3, 5, 8 and 10 11 Commutiny the Youth Collective - SDG 10 and 17 13 Pravah - SDG 4, 5 and 10 14 CONCLUDING SESSION 17 International Volunteer Day 2016 – Youth Volunteering for SDGs Background International Volunteer Day (IVD), on December 5th, was designated by the United Nations in 1985 as an international observance day to celebrate the power and potential of volunteerism. It is an opportunity for volunteers, and volunteer organizations, to raise awareness of, and gain recognition for, the contribution they make to their communities. The theme for IVD 2016 “GlobalApplause – Give volunteers a hand”, recognizes volunteers worldwide and their efforts in making peace and sustainable development a reality. Just after the launch of Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) in 2015, UNV India alongwith the youth volunteering organizations - Pravah, Commutiny-the Youth Collective and Restless Development - has been conducting “Youth Addas” (discussion on social issues amongst youth) with about 80-90 youth volunteers on the first Saturday of the month, every two months to sensitize youth volunteers on SDGs. Each Youth Adda focuses on a specific Goal with support of resource persons having expertise in relevant SDG thematic area. -
A Principal Component Analysis of Swedish Conscripts' Values And
A Principal Component Analysis of Swedish Conscripts’ Values and Attitudes towards their Military Education Megan Weber & Johan Österberg Much like the rest of continental European military establishments, the Swedish Armed Forces (SAF) had a long history of having a conscript-based military. As the military’s needs declined after the end of the Cold War, the issue of burden-sharing fairness – who had to serve and who did not – became significant, thereby producing a lot of pressure to abolish conscription throughout Europe. In Austria, Germany, Norway, and Sweden, it was able to last longer than in other countries due to a high level of public acceptance, in spite of the system’s degree of inequality (Szvircsev Tresch & Haltiner, 2006). Social change throughout Europe has been another cause for the decline of draft systems. “Functions that traditionally had been attributed to conscription, such as the creation of national identity and of feeling democratic responsibility towards the collective have lost considerably in importance” (ibid.). In many countries throughout Europe it has not been abolished in the strict sense, just suspended (ibid.). In these countries conscription is still considered legal, but as a last resort. In rare “hard-core conscription” countries such as Switzerland, universal draft systems in which all young men are liable for military service still tend to prevail. According to Szvircsev Tresch and Haltiner (2006), Switzerland was debating the idea of compulsory national service, which would allow young men to choose between military service and some type of social work. The authors stated that one of the main reasons for this debate was that “the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 4, prohibits any obligation to perform forced or compulsory labour” unless related to national defence needs – thus raising problems when it comes to civilian national or community service. -
FRANCE Conscientious Objection to the National Service Laws: a Summary of Amnesty International’S Concerns
FRANCE Conscientious objection to the national service laws: a summary of Amnesty International’s concerns When the current legislation governing conscientious objection to military service, Law No 83-605 of July 1993, modifying the National Service Code, was introduced, it was welcomed by Amnesty International insofar as it contained greater flexibility in granting conscientious objector status and an improvement in the type of alternative civilian service offered to recognized objectors. However, at the same time, Amnesty International expressed and has continued to express concern that the legislation allows applications for conscientious objector status to be submitted only within stipulated time limits, making no provision for conscientious objection developed during active military service. Similarly, the organization has repeatedly expressed concern that the legislation also offers conscientious objectors a civilian service which is twice the length of ordinary military service. Such a length is considered punitive by Amnesty International. Amnesty International takes no position on conscription as such and does not oppose the right of a state to request a citizen to undertake alternative civilian service. However, the organization believes that an essential component of the right to conscientious objection to armed service is that alternative service should not be imposed as a punishment for such objection. Amnesty International considers that the 20-month civilian service currently offered to conscientious objectors to military service in France does not, therefore, provide an acceptable alternative to the 10-month military service and that those imprisoned for rejecting both services are prisoners of conscience. In its appeals to the authorities to amend the legislation Amnesty International has pointed out that international standards on conscientious objection to compulsory military service also advocate a non-punitive length of civilian service. -
STEERING COMMITTEE for HUMAN RIGHTS (CDDH) Possible
CDDH(2020)04 13/11/2020 STEERING COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (CDDH) __________ Possible work of the CDDH on conscientious objection to compulsory armed military service in Europe __________ Document transmitted by the European European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) __________ Introduction 1. This document has been transmitted to the Secretariat by the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) with a view of a possible resumption, by the CDDH, of the work on conscientious objection to the compulsory military service. 2. At its 104th meeting (29 October 2020) the Bureau welcomed this document. 3. In view of the consideration of this item by the CDDH at its 93rd meeting (14-16 December 2020) the Bureau, while reiterating the interest of the matter, proposed to the Steering Committee that possible work in this area should take place at the beginning of the next biennium (2022-2023). 2 CDDH(2020)04 Contents I. Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 3 II. The right to conscientious objection to military service at the international and european level ........................................................................................................................................ 3 A. The international legal framework ....................................................................................... 3 B. Non-binding instruments and soft law ................................................................................. -
THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEERING LEADERSHIP FORUM BUILDING BRIDGES THROUGH INTERNATIONAL SERVICE Opening
THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEERING LEADERSHIP FORUM BUILDING BRIDGES THROUGH INTERNATIONAL SERVICE Opening Plenary 9:15 a.m. Washington, D.C. 2 SPEAKERS: DAVID CAPRARA Brookings Institution DAPHNE CASEY United Nations Volunteers DESIREE SAYLE USA Freedom Corps KIMBERLY PRIEBE World Teach Volunteer JEFF FLUG Millennium Promise RICHARD BLUM Blum Capital Partners, LP ANNE HAMILTON Peace Corps Volunteer ANDERSON COURT REPORTING 706 Duke Street, Suite 100 Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone (703) 519-7180 Fax (703) 519-7190 3 RONALD TSCHETTER United States Peace Corps Tuesday, December 5, 2006 P R O C E E D I N G S MR. CAPRARA: Good morning and welcome. Is everybody awake? My name is David Caprara. I’m director of the Brookings International Volunteering Project. We’re very happy you’ve come here. This feels like a reunion. We had a great kickoff in June to this project with Colin Powell, and a lot of work has been done since we came together. We’re now gathered here on the UN Volunteer Day to launch a very important coalition around international service called the Building Bridges Coalition. We have an exciting number of announcements and actions that will take place throughout the day. Assembled with us today are America’s leading NGOs and faith based international volunteering ANDERSON COURT REPORTING 706 Duke Street, Suite 100 Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone (703) 519-7180 Fax (703) 519-7190 4 organizations, the Peace Corps, government, the Administration and Congress, trendsetting corporations. We have a whole group of university leaders, faculty, students, administrators from around the region, and, most importantly, volunteers, fresh from their experiences on the front lines of service from abroad. -
Trafficking in Persons: U.S. Policy and Issues for Congress
Trafficking in Persons: U.S. Policy and Issues for Congress Alison Siskin Specialist in Immigration Policy Liana Sun Wyler Analyst in International Crime and Narcotics February 19, 2013 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov RL34317 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Trafficking in Persons: U.S. Policy and Issues for Congress Summary Trafficking in persons (TIP) for the purposes of exploitation is believed to be one of the most prolific areas of contemporary international criminal activity and is of significant interest to the United States and the international community as a serious human rights concern. TIP is both an international and a domestic crime that involves violations of labor, public health, and human rights standards, and criminal law. In general, the trafficking business feeds on conditions of vulnerability, such as youth, gender, poverty, ignorance, social exclusion, political instability, and ongoing demand. Actors engaged in human trafficking range from amateur family-run organizations to sophisticated transnational organized crime syndicates. Trafficking victims are often subjected to mental and physical abuse in order to control them, including debt bondage, social isolation, removal of identification cards and travel documents, violence, and fear of reprisals against them or their families. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), some 20.9 million individuals today are estimated to be victims of forced labor, including TIP. As many as 17,500 people are believed to be trafficked into the United States each year, and some have estimated that 100,000 U.S. citizen children are victims of trafficking within the United States. -
Conscription in the European Union Armed Forces: National Trends, Benefits and EU Modernised Service
Food for thought 07-2019 Conscription in the European Union Armed Forces: National Trends, Benefits and EU Modernised Service Written by AN EXPERTISE FORUM CONTRIBUTING TO EUROPEAN CONTRIBUTING TO FORUM AN EXPERTISE SINCE 1953 ARMIES INTEROPERABILITY European Army Interoperability Center Joeri Rongé and Giulia Abrate This paper was drawn up by Joeri Rongé and Giulia Abrate, under the supervision and guidance of the Director of the Permanent Secretariat, Mr. Mario Blokken. This Food for Thought paper is a document that gives an initial reflection on the theme. The content is not reflecting the positions of the member states, but consists of elements that can initiate and feed the discussions and analyses in the domain of the theme. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 3 Part one: The concept of conscription and the EU’ situation 4 Part two: The relevance of universal conscription 10 Promoting equality between genders and social-economic statuses 11 Economic results 12 The efficiency of armies 13 Part three: Conscription in the changing nature of war 15 Part four: The way forward, the European Union Service 20 The “European Security and Defence Studies” 21 The “EU Military Service” 22 The European Voluntary Service 25 Conclusion 27 Bibliography 28 Conscription in the European Union Armed Forces: National Trends, Benefits and EU Modernised Service 2 INTRODUCTION During the 19th and 20th centuries, most Secondly, the paper will delineate the argu- countries, whether authoritarian or not, en- ments in favour and against conscription. visaged conscription in order to involve the Having a global vision of the advantages and citizenry in their armies. -
European Bureau for Conscientious Objection to Military Service
European Bureau for Conscientious Objection 35 Van Elewyck street, 1050 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 2 648 5220, Fax: +32 2 648 6988 [email protected] / www.ebco-beoc.org Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Palais des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 10 Reference: OHCHR study on youth and human rights 11 January 2018 Dear Ms Imma Guerras-Delgado, On behalf of the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO), I am pleased to send you the following contribution to the study on the implementation of human rights with regard to young people. First of all, the right to conscientious objection to military service is a human right that concerns young people, more than other groups. Indeed, the age that young women and men receive the first call up for the compulsory military service is around 18 years old. Despite this, only the Ibero-American Youth Convention recognises explicitly the right to conscientious objection as a youth right. Its article 12 states as follows: “1. Youth have the right to make conscientious objection towards obligatory military service. 2. The States Parties undertake to promote the pertinent legal measures to guarantee the exercise of this right and advance in the progressive elimination of the obligatory military service. 3. The States Parties undertake to assure youth under 18 years of age that they shall not be called up or involved, in any way, in military hostilities.” At UN level, the right to conscientious objection to military service is based on article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which guarantees the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief. -
Iran: Military Service
Country Policy and Information Note Iran: Military Service Version 2.0 April 2020 Preface Purpose This note provides country of origin information (COI) and analysis of COI for use by Home Office decision makers handling particular types of protection and human rights claims (as set out in the Introduction section). It is not intended to be an exhaustive survey of a particular subject or theme. It is split into two main sections: (1) analysis and assessment of COI and other evidence; and (2) COI. These are explained in more detail below. Assessment This section analyses the evidence relevant to this note – i.e. the COI section; refugee/human rights laws and policies; and applicable caselaw – by describing this and its inter-relationships, and provides an assessment of, in general, whether one or more of the following applies: x A person is reasonably likely to face a real risk of persecution or serious harm x The general humanitarian situation is so severe as to breach Article 15(b) of European Council Directive 2004/83/EC (the Qualification Directive) / Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights as transposed in paragraph 339C and 339CA(iii) of the Immigration Rules x The security situation presents a real risk to a civilian’s life or person such that it would breach Article 15(c) of the Qualification Directive as transposed in paragraph 339C and 339CA(iv) of the Immigration Rules x A person is able to obtain protection from the state (or quasi state bodies) x A person is reasonably able to relocate within a country or territory x A claim is likely to justify granting asylum, humanitarian protection or other form of leave, and x If a claim is refused, it is likely or unlikely to be certifiable as ‘clearly unfounded’ under section 94 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.