24/11/2014

Forces Watch at Area meeting

South Wales [Quakers] Area Meeting had a bilingual afternoon workshop given by Forces Watch
There is a lot to read but well worth it is you are interested in
a. the age of recruitment to the armed forces in the UK - with parental consent you can sign up from the age of 16 - the UK is the only European that allows sign up before the age of 18
b. and/or the recruitment that goes on in schools
c. and/or "The new tide of militarisation" [this links to a Quaker publication - England & Wales do have different education policies]] in the UK - in schools and general life.


The information from Forces Watch 4 links to pdf documents:
Link to briefing overview that they gave up
Link to Military activities in UK Schools & Colleges: what are the issues & what can you do
And an overview  of conscientious objection in the UK armed forces today


Those people who signed up at 16 were more likely to die on active service in Afghanistan than those who sign up later [is this because of their youth or the actual job they end up doing in the armed forces]. Although armed service personnel are not put on the front line until they are 18 there were some notable mistakes with regard to Afghanistan.


There are several issues to think about here and you might not be in agreement with all and some may feel they wish to see the total abolition of the armed forces.


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