The Bundeswehr advertises children
The Bundeswehr needs around 20,000 new recruits annually. In order to achieve this number, the advertising measures are greatly expanded and minors are recruited as soldiers every year: in 2022 it was 1,773 17-year-olds, including 327 girls, an increase of 43% compared to the previous year. These receive the same military training on the weapon as adult soldiers and will often be sent to foreign missions soon after reaching the age of majority. In the past ten years, the Bundeswehr has recruited more than 17,000 minors than soldiers.
We want to stop any kind of military advertising in children and adolescents!
Young people are protesting at the YOU trade fair in Berlin against the recruitment of minors by the Bundeswehr. In children and adolescents with games and armored vehicles, this vied for the attention of young people.
Law protection is no longer valid : the girls and boys are accommodated together with adult soldiers, they have the same working hours, special protective measures against bullying or attacks do not exist-although according to a Bundeswehr study, more than half of all soldiers in the Bundeswehr were sexually harassed and about every thirtieth victims of sexual abuse became (source: Center for Military History and Social Sciences in Bundeswehr, 2014).
From 2018-2020, 848 cases of "crimes against sexual self-determination or other forms of sexual harassment" were reported in the Bundeswehr. At least 17 minors were affected by this sexual violence in these three years alone, in 5 of these cases the suspicion of the supervisor was directed. Other risks are also high: About a fifth of all soldiers without mission abroad suffer from mental illnesses, and in the three years from 2018-2020 alone, the Bundeswehr recorded 167 suicide attempts and 50 completed suicides-including a minor soldier (Source: Answer from the Ministry of Defense at a request from the Bundestag member Frank Heinrich ).
The Bundeswehr increasingly advertises in children and adolescents, specifically and one -sided: Before Corona, the youth officers and career consultants of the Bundeswehr only reached more than 400,000 students every year, including children of just eleven years. Many other girls and boys are reached at trade fairs , barracks or adventure events . However, advertising for military operations contradicts the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Children, which also signed Germany. The children's rights secured in it apply to all under 18 year olds. The UN Committee for the rights of the child and the Child Commission of the German Bundestag have long been asking the Federal Government to raise the age of 18 years and to prohibit any military advertising in children and adolescents.
also tries to advertise young people youth media and social media Many young people can be lured by good salaries, permanent jobs, free studies and other benefits from the Bundeswehr. The risks such as trauma, death or wound are not mentioned in school lectures, commercials and materials from the Bundeswehr or only in passing. YouTube series and advertising campaigns such as the "Bundeswehr Adventure Games" or "BW Beach" emphasize adventures, fun, sport and teamwork , real deployments are often completely missing.
The Bundeswehr is increasingly investing in recruitment . The costs for this have almost tenfold from EUR 3.8 million to 35.5 million euros within ten years.
The decision on the invitation of soldiers in the lessons lies alone at the school. Pupils, parents and teachers can speak out in teacher and school conferences and about the student and parents' councils- support the “sample guidelines for schools” by Terre des Hommes . Parents can also apply for replacement lessons for their children come to class .
In addition, there are more and more initiatives against the Bundeswehr advertising offensive at the local level and at the federal level since 2019 the campaign "Under 18! No minors in the Bundeswehr" . Terre des Hommes is one of the initiators and spokesman for the campaign. The 12 sponsoring organizations, including Terre des Hommes, the GEW (Education and Science Union), Pax Christi, the German Peace Society (DFG-VK) or the Network Peace Cooperative call for the stop of any kind of military advertising and recruitment in minors.
Discussion events in which soldiers, peace educators, children's rights activists or other experts with older pupils discuss controversial - because the students also have the right to information. However, the events must be voluntary for the pupils and open to parents and other interested parties. Further strict standards for protecting young people from one -sided military advertising must be observed. Terre des Hommes has sample guidelines for schools .
Our demands
- The Bundeswehr's recruitment age increased to at least 18 years!
- The stop of any kind of military advertising in children and adolescents!
- The publication of the age of soldiers who are affected by Bundeswehr internal violations such as sexual abuse, degrading recording rituals or bullying or who are injured in training or in use or come to death.
The UN Committee for the rights of the child in Geneva and the Children's Commission of the German Bundestag also demands this from the Federal Government.
Support these claims by signing our petition to the Minister of Defense!
Your contact person
Ralf Willinger
Speaker children's rights and peace culture