NOW UN CRITICISE UK CHILD RECRUITMENT POLICY

Concerns voiced by the Celtic League about the recruitment of schoolchildren into the armed forces have been echoed by an influential United Nations Child Rights body. Last month the Celtic League

Concerns voiced by the Celtic League about the recruitment of schoolchildren into the armed forces have been echoed by an influential United Nations Child Rights body.

Last month the Celtic League supported criticisms, articulated earlier this year by Manx Nationalist Party, Mec Vannin, over the recruitment of young people into the British Armed Forces.

Now the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has produced a report which echoes many of the concerns. The UNCRC makes it comments in para 72 of Concluding observations on the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland published today (link below):

http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/docs/AdvanceVersions/CRC.C.GBR.CO.4.pdf

The section refers the United Kingdom government to a series of comprehensive criticisms contained in an earlier report under Article 8 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Children on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (link below):

http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/docs/AdvanceVersions/CRC.C.OPAC.GBR.CO.1.pdf

These latest International criticisms of under eighteen recruitment make it increasingly difficult for the Isle of Man government's Department of Education to sustain its unsound policy of allowing recruitment of children into the armed services. The Department have already admitted that recruitment features as an integral part of school career options.

See related links on Celtic News at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league/message/2808 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league/message/2803 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league/message/2799

J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League 03/10/08