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Sat

Jan

2024

Elective Military Corps Programs in Schools Should Not Be Forced Upon Minority and Low-income Students

Submitted by nnomy

Wed

Apr

Yazidi sex slaves reveal Isis militants picked who to rape in twisted 'lottery' in distressing accounts

Submitted by antimili-youth on Wed, 15/04/2015 - 15:54

By Heather Saul, The Independent

Isis fighters are committing widespread, organised and systematic rape and sexual assault on Yazidi women and girls in what may amount to a crime against humanity, a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) has found.

Wed

Apr

Nigeria: Boko Haram Has Abducted 2,000 Girls

Submitted by antimili-youth on Wed, 15/04/2015 - 13:28

Boko Haram militants have abducted upwards of 2,000 girls in the past two years, some of whom have been forced to become child soldiers alongside abducted boys, reports the human rights group, Amnesty International.

In a new, 90-page study of atrocities committed by Boko Haram fighters, Amnesty estimates that they have killed at least 8,300 people, mostly civilians, since 2013. In addition they have forced more than 1.2 million people from their homes and made hundreds of thousands destitute.

"The situation seems to have spiralled out of the government's control as the human rights violations and abuses committed by parties to the conflict have become more sophisticated and deadly," Amnesty says.

Tue

Apr

S. Korean conscientious objector finds new life in France

Submitted by hannah on Tue, 14/04/2015 - 15:21

By IZUMI SAKURAI/ Staff Writer

Lee Yea-da couldn't stomach the thought of mandatory military service. So he fled South Korea and sought asylum in France, an action that is almost unheard of in his country.

With few exceptions, South Korea requires all male citizens to take a physical examination at the age of 19 ahead of serving almost two years in the military.

The government deems compulsory military service necessary to counter the threat from North Korea.

Even though hundreds of men reject conscription for religious and other reasons each year, it is rare for a citizen to seek political asylum overseas.

Lee was granted asylum in 2013 by the French government.

As South Korea does not recognize the concept of conscientious objector, there is no alternative to military service other than serving a jail sentence.

Mon

Apr

Britain: Attention! Army police on parade with city centre cops

Submitted by hannah on Mon, 13/04/2015 - 13:00

Although not exclusively affecting young people, since many young people will be out on the weekends, in reality this everyday display of militarisation will affect young people disproportionately. It's another example of portraying the military as guadrians of order and control. Note the horrendous example of sexism in the last paragraph...

'The Boys in Blue have teamed up with the Red Caps to keep clubbers safe in Birmingham city centre!

Soldiers from the Royal Military Police - aka the Red Caps - can now be seen patrolling shoulder-to-shoulder with West Midlands Police in the nightlife hotspots of Broad Street and Hurst Street.

Such joint patrols are common in Garrison Towns across the UK, like Aldershot and Bulford, but with service personnel regularly heading to Birmingham for nights out the Royal Military Police investigators were keen to gain experience of policing a thriving city centre.

Mon

Apr

Child soldiers fighting on the frontline in Yemen

Submitted by antimili-youth on Mon, 13/04/2015 - 12:03

Aden has become a theatre of bloody urban warfare as Houthi rebels and backers of president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi battle for control of the city in southern Yemen. Since fighting first broke out in mid-March, several amateur videos have surfaced showing child soldiers battling on the frontline on both sides.

These striking images were filmed at night and posted on YouTube on March 31. They show youths battling Shiite Houthi rebels in the streets of Aden, a port city located around 500 km south of the capital Sanaa. One of our Observers on the ground confirmed that teenagers aged between 15 to 17 years old were fighting in the ranks of so-called "popular committees", paramilitary units that back the country's beleaguered president.

Click here to read more.

Fri

Apr

One third of combatants in Yemen are children: UNICEF

Submitted by antimili-youth on Fri, 10/04/2015 - 16:39

The United Nations Children's Fund has expressed concern over the use of large number of child fighters by armed groups in Yemen.

"Up to a third of combatants in armed groups in conflict-torn Yemen are children...I have been myself held up at checkpoints by children who were 14, 15 and sometimes even little younger," UNICEF's Representative in Yemen Julien Harneis told The Anadolu Agency in Geneva.

Motivated by money and with the aim of defending families or tribes as part of their culture in the poorest country of the Middle East, an increasing number of children are being recruited by Yemen's warring factions.

"It is a cultural issue...In Yemen, in many parts of the country, it is considered to be normal, if not a good thing, to pick up a gun and be able to contribute to the defense of your family and tribe," Harneis said.

Fri

Apr

We Said “Don’t Serve in the Military” Because…

Submitted by hannah on Fri, 10/04/2015 - 14:56

bianet writers Mustafa Sütlaş and Şeyhmus Diken commented on the investigation launched against them for “turning people against military service” by contributing to the book “Don’t Serve in the Military Because…”

Prosecution launched an investigation about 381 people who contributed to the book, “Don’t Serve in the Military Because…”

Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office opened the investigation based on the charge of “turning people against military service” included in article 318 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), upon the complaint made by Turkish General Staff.

Well-known public figures are also among those being investigated.

Mustafa Sütlaş and Şeyhmus Diken who contribute to bianet with their pieces are included in the list of the accused.

Wed

Apr

Spain: Army ignites Twitter debate over Education Fair

Submitted by hannah on Wed, 08/04/2015 - 11:35

Hashtag #SalóSenseExèrcit (Fair Without the Army) is second most used, just below is the official hashtag #Ensenyament15, as result of the Army stand at Education Fair.

Wed

Apr

Army ignites Twitter debate over Education Fair #SalóSenseExèrcit

Submitted by hannah on Wed, 08/04/2015 - 11:33

The Army “has taken” the Saló d’Ensenyament (Education Fair). And no, this is not a reference to any military action. Even though professional training courses have been the main protagonists on the battlefield at this year’s Education Fair at the Fira de Barcelona, occupying some 40% of the stands, the presence of the Armed Forces as an exhibitor is causing quite an outcry on social media. That is the conclusion to be drawn after analysing the conversation on Twitter across 2,613 tweets published between 16 and 18 March, which include the official account and hashtag of the Fair (@saloensenyament and #ensenyament15), and the words “Saló d’Ensenyament”.

More information here: (@sibilarecom) and (@VIAempresa)

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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.