paramilitary

Wed

Oct

2014

The militarisation of everyday life in Venezuela

New translation available

Submitted by Gary

Rafael Uzcátegui

The recently-deceased President Hugo Chavez systematically militarised Venezuelan society, from young to old. This is perhaps not too surprising when recalling that he came to power as Lieutenant Colonel Chavez in 1998,...

Fri

Sep

A call to action: 4th International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth, November 20-26

Submitted by antimili-youth on Fri, 22/09/2017 - 14:19

This November, activists from all around the world are taking action against the militarisation of young people in their countries, cities and towns.

Join us in this week with your own nonviolent actions, and be part of this global movement resisting the recruitment of young people's minds and bodies into violence.

The International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth is a concerted effort of antimilitarist actions across the world to raise awareness of the many ways in which violence is promoted to young people, and to give voice to alternatives. The week is coordinated by War Resisters' International.

Thu

Feb

Nigeria: Boko Haram - 2,000 Children Recruited Used As Child Soldiers - Unicef

Submitted by antimili-youth on Thu, 23/02/2017 - 17:32

According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), Nigeria's Boko Haram militants recruited about 2,000 children in 2016 and used them as child soldiers.

As world leaders gathered in Paris for a conference on the protection of children in armed conflict, UNICEF Executive Director, Anthony Lake said "nearly 2,000 children were recruited by Boko Haram, in Nigeria and neighbouring countries, last year alone, and there have been nearly 1,500 cases of child recruitment in Yemen since the conflict escalated in March 2015."

The UNICEF chief said according to estimates there are tens of thousands under the age of 18 being used in conflicts worldwide today.

Wed

Jan

South Sudan: More than 17,000 children used in conflict since 2013

Submitted by antimili-youth on Wed, 04/01/2017 - 16:01

Three years after fighting first erupted in South Sudan, children continue to be recruited by armed forces and armed groups, with 1,300 children recruited in 2016, UNICEF said today. This brings to more than 17,000 the total number of children used in the conflict since 2013.

“Since the first day of this conflict, children have been the ones most devastatingly affected by the violations,” said UNICEF’s Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Leila Gharagozloo-Pakkala.

Call for Articles: Examples of Youth Militarisation in Different Countries/Regions

Submitted by antimili-youth on Sat, 27/08/2016 - 12:22

War Resisters' International is organising the third International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth this year. The week is going to take place between November 14-20 with the participation of groups and individuals from different countries. See our call out here.

Alongside events and actions, this year we are also planning to share examples of youth militarisation, and resistance to it, from different countries via a series of articles. The articles will be published on our website www.antimili-youth.net. If you'd like to write to us about your country and/or community please contact us via cmoy@wri-irg.org.

Thu

May

This Former Colombian Child Soldier Was Forced to Kill Eight of His Friends

Submitted by antimili-youth on Thu, 19/05/2016 - 17:10

By Joe Parkin Daniels, Vice News

When Nicolás was 17 he was forced to kill eight of his friends.

"It hurt to kill them, obviously," Nicolás said, bowing his head as his voice started to tremble. "But an order is an order. I couldn't think about that."

Nicolás had been with Colombia's largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, since he was 12. Some of his condemned brothers in arms were as young as 14. Their crimes included trying to desert, and falling asleep during lookout. One had ruined the camp's food. Burning rice is an executable offence in the jungle. Refusing to carry out the executions would have got Nicolás killed himself.

Nicolás is able to tell the tale because, a year later in April 2015, he deserted himself.

Mon

Jan

Illegal armed groups recruited more than 100 Colombian child soldiers in 2014

Submitted by hannah on Mon, 12/01/2015 - 09:58

Dec 17, 2014

Illegal armed groups in Colombia have recruited 119 minors in 2014, the country’s Ombudsman’s Office said on Tuesday.

According to the government’s human rights office, guerrilla group FARC — currently engaged in peace talks with the government — allowed 51 minor into its ranks, while the smaller ELN group recruited 22.

Drug trafficking organizations and groups that were formed from the demobilized AUC paramilitary group recruited 55. The office did not report specify the number of recruits per group.

Tue

Aug

Militarisation of youth in Bolivarian Venezuela

Submitted by hannah on Tue, 12/08/2014 - 11:20

Rafael Uzcátegui

In 1998 lieutenant colonel Hugo Chávez won the presidency of Venezuela, after staging a coup d’etat in 1992. For the first time in Venezuela’s democratic period (which began in 1958), a member of the Armed Forces was elected head of state. One of the consequences was that a new phase of progressive militarisation had begun in the country, initiated with a constitutional reform in 1999, which granted members of the Armed Forces the right to vote, in addition to other political rights, such as the right to be elected to public office in a public vote. Today, soldiers occupy different offices, such as ministers, governors, and mayors. Although there is a coalition of political parties that supports president Chávez, the Gran Polo Patriótico, there is a lot of evidence that shows that, in fact, the Armed Forces are Hugo Chávez's political organisation of trust to exercise political power.

Tue

Aug

On militarisation in Colombia

Submitted by hannah on Tue, 12/08/2014 - 10:53

The most recent manifestations of the conflict in Colombia date back to 1948, when the presidential candidate Jorge Eliecer Gaitán was assassinated, cutting off the possibility that socialist-leaning ideas might have a place of decision and power in the Colombian state.

Wed

Jan

Survey findings: Recruitment, and The military in public and private spaces

Submitted by Gary on Wed, 08/01/2014 - 15:25

Recruitment

In the majority of the thirty-two countries surveyed[1], minors (those under 18 years old) cannot join the armed forces. However, there are multiple exceptions to this – such as the USA, France and Canada, whose military includes 17 year olds. In those countries that allow minors, there are often restrictions. In the UK, under-18s cannot serve in combat roles, and in Germany 17.5 year olds can join only with parental consent. In those states that do not officially allow minors to serve, this does sometimes happen nonetheless, for example in Israel and Colombia.

Languages

Countering Military Recruitment

WRI's new booklet, Countering Military Recruitment: Learning the lessons of counter-recruitment campaigns internationally, is out now. The booklet includes examples of campaigning against youth militarisation across different countries with the contribution of grassroot activists.

You can order a paperback version here.