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Summary: Despite the Ministry of Defence's (MoD) policy of not keeping under 18-year-old recruits against their will, Britain's child soldiers are being held in a military detention centre for going AWOL (Absent Without Leave).
(24 March 2011) - Current legislation prevents recruits between 16 and 18 from leaving of their own accord - with the exception of a six month window at the start of their training - and once parents have given their permission they can not withdraw that permission at a later date. The MoD has said it has never refused to let an unhappy young recruit to leave, but Channel 4 News has spoken to the father of a 17-year-old recruit desperate to return home, but who is being reproached by his commanding officer for attempting to leave, and says he has been made to scrub toilets every day since filing for discharge. And Channel 4 News has also spoken to the mother of Daniel Farr, the Army recruit who died while in training shortly after his 18th birthday in 1997. She says he went absent without leave just days before his death and had begged to be allowed to leave training six months earlier. Britain is the only country in the European Union and one of around only 20 in the world which recruits 16-year-old Armed Forces personnel, with applications submitted as early as 15 years and nine months. The number of 16-year olds currently serving in the Armed Forces is 580, the number of 17-year-olds is 1,970. Or they can apply to leave under the ‘unhappy minors' provision up until three months after their 18th birthday; where the choice to send home a recruit is down to the discretion of the commanding officer. 260 personnel left the Army under the unhappy minors' provision in 2009-10. Campaigners are lobbying the Government to either raise the minimum age of recruitment from 16 to 18 or to make absolute the right of a young recruit to leave training. Several groups told Channel 4 News that the incarceration of minors in a de facto military prison is "immoral", flouts UN convention and contradicts MoD policy. The MoD has long insisted it is counterproductive to retain young recruits who wish to leave, arguing that to do so would create a disruptive effect on fellow recruits. And in January, Andrew Robathan MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the MoD, reiterated that position. Addressing the House of Commons, he said: "Any service person who makes it clear before their 18th birthday that they are unhappy with military life can request permission to leave the armed forces up to three months after their 18th birthday. The policy is to treat all such cases with great sympathy, because nobody wants unwilling soldiers in a volunteer Army. They are actually a nuisance, because they stir up trouble." Simon Reevell, MP for Dewsbury and a barrister who has represented several Armed Forces recruits under the age of 18 when they have appeared before a court martial for going AWOL, told Channel 4 News usually those that went missing without permission were attempting to leave for good. He said: "Mostly, there is a genuine desire to leave, that the Armed Forces is not for them. Of course, there are examples of those who want to see their girlfriends, aren't allowed and take a runner. When it goes as far as sending a soldier to a detention centre, it is usually for a serious case of AWOL, and that is often because they run away with the intention of not coming back." Mr Reevell suggested that pressure on commanding officers to avoid drop-out rates amongst young recruits - 27 per cent amongst under-18s - was one of the contributing causes. "Officers are compelled to see their recruits through to service, so they do their upmost to keep drop-out rates low," he said. Mr Reevell has petitioned Mr Robathan to either amend the Armed Forces Bill to give Under 18s' an absolute right to leave service or to make the change under Queen's rules.
Although Under 18s are, by law, not allowed to take part in hostilities, they are often posted to barracks abroad. At present, under 18s do not have an absolute right to leave service. Instead, they can only leave during their first six months, having completed 28 days service and giving 14 days notice.