A United Nations body has urged the Government to raise the minimum age for the Defence Forces to 18 to prevent children from being exposed to armed conflict, writes Carl O'Brien, Social Affairs Correspondent
It also says it is concerned that young people still considered children in the eyes of the law are involved in weapons training sanctioned by the State. The comments come in a report by the UN's Committee on the Rights of the Child which assessed the State's compliance with children's rights in the area of armed conflict.
The recommendations could have major implications for the Defence Forces. Almost a quarter of recruits each year are under 18. The minimum age for general service enlistment in the Army is 17, while apprentices may be recruited from the age of 16.
The Government has ratified a protocol linked to the UN Convention on Children's Rights aimed at protecting under-18s from being drawn into armed conflict.
In a report submitted to the UN last year, the Government insisted the possibility of a person under 18 being exposed to armed conflict was "virtually negligible". The Government said military personnel who are under 18 are specifically precluded from any service abroad under the Defence Forces's administrative instructions. The only situation where a person under 18 could be exposed to hostilities would be if conflict broke out within the State. This could occur if the Army was providing armed military back-up to the Garda while escorting prisoners or providing security for the transport of cash.
As well as raising the recruitment age to 18, the UN said legislation should be amended to allow the Ombudsman for Children to investigate the treatment of children in the Defence Forces.
The UN committee also expressed concern at the "insufficient supervision of care" provided to unaccompanied minors. In particular, it voiced concern at the lack of any process to identify asylum-seeking children who may have been recruited or used in hostilities. It said the State should identify at the earliest possible opportunity children entering Ireland who may have been recruited or used in hostilities abroad.
In response to the UN's findings, the Children's Rights Alliance - a coalition of more than 80 non-governmental organisations - said former child soldiers in Ireland were hidden and ignored.
Jillian van Turnhout, the group's chief executive, said: "The Government must find a way to identify these former child soldiers, to develop specialised supports and services that will, hopefully, assist them to overcome past traumas so they may be able to move forward in their lives, preferably before their childhood comes to an end."
