Secretary General Slams Schools Recruitment

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

The Secretary General of the Celtic League has written to the First Minister of Wales to express concern about military recruitment in schools.

The move comes as the Welsh Assembly plan to consider the issue.

Similar correspondence is to be targeted at leaders in the other Celtic countries.

“20/09/15

Dear First Minister Carwyn Jones

Armed Forces School Recruitment

Following 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, I would like to urge you to accept the Petition Committee’s recommendations in full, because they provide a reasonable approach, at the current time, to providing a solution to the situation.

Of particular concern to our organisation is the disproportionate effort made by the armed forces to target schools in Scotland, Wales and the north of Ireland, despite the fact that the population of 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. It is clear that school children in these Celtic nations are being deliberately, unfairly and purposefully targeted for recruitment by the military, contrary to the spirit behind which the United Nations Convention (UNCRC) on the Rights of the Child is based and 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 Wales?

We will be writing to the governments in the other Celtic nations 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
Secretary General

CC
Petition Committee Members”

The Celtic League has an ongoing cooperation with ‘ForceWatch’ on this issue their web site can be found at this link:

http://www.forceswatch.net/

BERNARD MOFFATT

Issued by: The Celtic News

19/09/15

THE CELTIC LEAGUE INFORMATION SERVICE.

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