ALBA: Armed Forces Recruitment Raised With First Minister of Scotland

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

The Celtic League has written to the First Minister of Scotland raising the issue of Armed Forces recruitment in Schools. He cites current developments in the Welsh assembly on the issue (see below):

“Dear First Minister Nicola Sturgeon

Armed Forces School Recruitment

In the final report of the Welsh Assembly Government’s Petition Committee published in June 2015, on their consideration of the petition Stop the Army Recruiting in Schools (P-04-432) submitted by the Fellowship of Reconciliation Wales, the following recommendations were made:

Recommendation 1. We recommend that the Welsh Government considers whether further research is needed into the reasons for the apparently disproportionate number of visits to schools in areas of relatively high deprivation. (Page 25)
Recommendation 2. We recommend that the Welsh Government reviews the Careers and the World of Work Curriculum Framework to ensure that guidance in relation to inviting the armed forces into schools takes account of their unique nature as a career and the need to encourage an open and honest exchange of views with pupils about their role. (Page 26)
Recommendation 3. We recommend that the Welsh Government gives further consideration to how schools, businesses and employers can best be supported to ensure that a diverse range of businesses and employers visit schools to provide pupils with information about the career opportunities they offer. (Page 26)

(Link: http://www.assembly.wales/…/Stop%20the%20Army%20Recruiting%…)

I have written to the Welsh Assembly Government urging them to accept the above recommendations in full, because they seem to offer a workable strategy, at the current time, into how to counteract what appears to be an overemphasis on the recruitment of school children by the armed forces. In addition to Wales, it seems that that the armed forces are also focusing their recruitment drive on school children in Scotland (and the north of Ireland). In fact the evidence shows that the UK armed forces are disproportionately targeting the recruitment of school children in Scotland, Wales and the north of Ireland, where these three countries account for almost a quarter of the school visits by the armed forces, although they have only 16% of the UK population of the UK.

The fact that school children in Scotland are being deliberately, unfairly and purposefully targeted for recruitment by the military, runs contrary to the spirit behind which the United Nations Convention (UNCRC) on the Rights of the Child is based and is in contravention of a number of articles in the Convention. How is your government monitoring the disproportionate recruitment of school children by the armed forces in Scotland? I would also like to gage your opinion if you think that similar recommendations to those made by the Welsh Assembly Petitions Committee, could be considered as a way forward to help counteract the seemingly disproportionate recruitment of school children by the armed forces in Scotland?

We will also be writing to the Stormont Assembly to enquire what they are doing to ensure that appropriate action is being taken to uphold the spirit of the UNCRC in relation to the targeting of school children into the UK armed forces.

Yours sincerely

Rhisiart Tal-e-bot
General Secretary
Celtic League”

Related link;

https://www.celticleague.net/…/secretary-general-slams-sch…/

BERNARD MOFFATT

Issued by: The Celtic News

24/09/15

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The Celtic League established in 1961 has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It promotes cooperation between the countries and campaigns on a range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights human rights abuse, military activity and socio-economic issues

http://celticleague.net