The Weekly Debate
Issue 387
15th-21st November 2013
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The Dilemma
The story
FirstNews
“Should the British Army stop taking on soldiers under the age of 18?”
Too young to be
a soldier?
THE British Army should stop taking on soldiers under the age of 18,
say campaigners.
by editor Nicky Cox
The Government has received a letter from a group called Child Soldiers
International, asking it to make the youngest joining age higher than 16.
Teenagers in Britain can join the army at 16 and can apply when they are still 15, as
long as their parents agree.
That’s younger than all the other countries in the European Union, says the human
rights group. They argue that a large number of 16-year-olds drop out of the army
because they cannot cope. And that many of those who do actually go to fight, end
up suffering from mental illnesses, after they come back from war.
The Government says it has no plans to change the age of recruitment to 18.
Although 16 and 17-year-olds can join the army, they cannot be sent to a war zone
until they are 18. The Ministry of Defence points out there are many benefits about
life in the armed forces for young people. Army life “provides them challenging and
constructive education, training and employment, equipping them with valuable
and transferable skills for life,” a spokesperson said.
Opinions
NO!
YES!
“It’s time for the Ministry of Defence to recognise what more and more
young people and their parents are realising - that enlisting at 16 is not in
their best interests. Army training does not give young people what they
need to succeed in today’s economy, especially in terms of qualifications.
The Ministry of Defence should be encouraging young people to stay in
education until 18, when a fuller range of Army careers will become available
to them, and only then take an informed decision about whether to enlist.”Richard Clarke; Director of Child Soldiers International
“Joining the armed forces
provides an excellent platform
for other careers later in life. For
example, army colleges enable
young men and women from
the age of 16 to learn skills, earn
money and become a soldier.” Kris Hopkins; MP for Keighley
and former soldier
The history of the age of recruitment
In World War One (1914 -1918) the age
of recruitment into the British Army
was 18. However, many teenagers
were inspired to join the army to
fight for ‘King and Country’ and lied
about their age to be signed up. Often
recruiting officers were so desperate
for soldiers they did not carefully
check the age of their recruits. As
a result the youngest solider in the
British Army may have been just
12 and was too short to see over
the edge of a trench! After the First
World War many people criticised
the army for not carrying out proper
age checks. During World War Two
(1939 – 1945) the minimum age to
join the army was lowered to 16 with
parental agreement. Currently no one
under the age of 18 can join the army
without their parents’ permission and
cannot be sent to a war zone until
they are 18.
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Dilemma
The Weekly Debate
FirstNews
Issue 387
15th-21st November 2013
“Should the British Army stop taking on soldiers under the age of 18?”
The science- mental illnesses
Soldiers who join the army before they are 18 are much more likely to suffer from mental health problems
when leaving, according to a study by ForcesWatch. Over the past 20 years the suicide rate amongst male
soldiers under 20 has been over 80% higher than among civilians of the same age. Younger recruits also have a
higher risk of developing depression, suicide and even harmful drinking.
The government is concerned by this and has committed over £7 million to improving services dealing with
mental health problems. They are also funding a number of campaigns, including ones providing trainings for
GPs on veterans’ mental health needs.
The economics
The Ministry of Defence spends almost twice as much training 16 and 17 year-olds for combat compared with
adults. It costs just under £90,000 to prepare new soldiers aged 16 and 17, but just over £40,000 for each adult
recruit.
This is partly because of longer training courses. Early training for minors can last up to 50 weeks, whilst adults
can complete this in just 14 weeks. Also more young people than adults drop-out of the army, meaning the
Ministry of Defence could have saved almost £100 million had only adult recruits enlisted.
Comparisons with other countries
The UK has the lowest recruitment age in Europe and is one of only 20 countries in the world to recruit 16year olds. Most countries in west Europe have a minimum recruitment age of 18 and Sweden has campaigned
to raise the age even higher. Worldwide 134 countries have refused to recruit soldiers under the age of 18.
Comparisons with other
responsibilities when growing up
The British Army’s recruitment policy means you can
join the army before being able to:
Vote in a public election
Learn to drive a car
Buy a house
Join the police force or the fire service
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Dilemma
The Weekly Debate
FirstNews
Issue 387
15th-21st November 2013
“Should the British Army stop taking on soldiers
under the age of 18?”
The numbers
By the end of the Battle of the Somme in
18,000
World War One,
‘Boy Soldiers’
had been killed or wounded.
40%
In 2012,
fewer 16-year-olds joined
the army than in 2011. Of these recruits,
nearly half dropped out during training.
80% of boys and girls under 18 choose
to join the Army over the RAF or Navy.
Points to discuss
1. When is someone old enough to know if
joining the army is right for them?
2. Should soldiers under the age of 18 be paid
The words
Age of recruitment: The minimum
age you have to be to join the
armed forces.
Recruiting Officer: A senior
military figure whose job is to
recruit new soldiers.
Enlisting: To join the armed forces.
Depression: A mental health
problem where you feel sadness for
long periods of time.
Child soldiers: Children under the
age of 18 that are recruited into an
army.
Brainwashing: Forcefully
pressuring someone into believing
something.
Battle of the Somme: A key battle
fought in 1916 during World War
One.
the same as adult soldiers?
3.
Is a child’s education more important than
joining the army?
4.
In the future will fewer countries employ child
soldiers?
5. What can Britain do to stop countries using
children under the age of 16 in their armies?
Child soldiers around the globe
Although the UK does not allow anyone under the
age of 16 to join the army, many other countries use
children as soldiers. There are about 250,000 child
soldiers in the world, including 70,000 boys that
fight in the Burma National Army.
Children are often used as soldiers because they
can be paid less and are easier to brainwash. They
can also be used to spy on the enemy, because
they look much less suspicious. As a result many
children, sometimes as young as 8, are forced to
become soldiers, although some volunteer to join
because of extreme poverty and hunger at home.
A recruiting march for the King’s
Royal Rifle Corps in 1915
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Dilemma
The Weekly Debate
FirstNews
Issue 387
15th-21st November 2013
“Should the British Army stop taking on soldiers under the age of 18?”
Reasons why the British Army should stop
taking on soldiers under the age of 18:
Reasons why the British Army should not
stop taking on soldiers under the age of 18:
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
Finding out more about the following points would
help me make an even more informed decision:
My reasoned opinion
“Should the British Army stop taking on soldiers
under the age of 18?”
Reasons why I think the British Army should stop/should not stop taking on soldiers under the
age of 18:
Why not vote on this discussion and post your opinions on the First News website? www.firstnews.co.uk
Interesting comments may be printed in the News Views column of the newspaper, next week.