Berlin, March 15, 2022. The annual report published today by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces, Eva Högl, once again documents problems with underage soldiers in the German Armed Forces. The alliance "Under 18 Never! No Minors in the Bundeswehr" is calling for the recruitment age to be raised quickly to 18.
“As in previous years, the annual report of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces again reveals problems with underage soldiers in the Bundeswehr and a lack of protective measures,” says Ralf Willinger of the children’s rights organization terre des hommes , spokesperson for the alliance “Under 18 Never! No Minors in the Bundeswehr.” “Here are three examples: Covid vaccines approved only for adults were administered to minors because no age verification was integrated into the vaccination process. The number of sexual offenses in the Bundeswehr rose significantly in 2021 compared to the previous year, by 35 percent to 303 cases, many of which presumably involved minors. This is because 1,239, or around 8 percent, of all newly recruited soldiers in 2021 were minors – the exact number of affected minors is unfortunately still not published. In addition, there are high dropout rates: More than a fifth (21%) of the minors newly recruited in 2020 left the service within the first six months, a significant decrease.” “More than 15% of adults,” Willinger lists. “This is a lose-lose situation, under which minors suffer and from which the Bundeswehr also gains nothing.”
The alliance refers to the children's rights enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Children's Commission of the German Bundestag, which have repeatedly called on Germany to raise the recruitment age to 18.
“There can be no more excuses,” says Stephan Fegers of the doctors’ organization IPPNW, a member of the “Under 18 Never!” alliance. “The Ministry of Defense’s 2021 response to an inquiry from Member of Parliament Frank Heinrich proved that underage soldiers in the German Armed Forces are exposed to numerous risks: They are victims of sexual offenses, and nearly a third of the suspects are superior officers! They suffer physical and psychological harm, accidents, depression, serious mental health problems, and suicides occur. This is scandalous and must be stopped immediately. It is therefore high time that the parties in the governing coalition implement their election promises and the agreement in the coalition agreement, refrain from recruiting minors as soldiers in the future, and adhere to the so-called “Straight 18 Standard”—as more than 150 countries worldwide already do, including 23 NATO states and 21 EU countries.”
The alliance "Under 18 never! No minors in the German Armed Forces" is supported by various organizations and associations from the fields of peace, human rights, churches, and trade unions. It demands raising the recruitment age for military service to 18 and a ban on all recruitment advertising by the German Armed Forces targeting minors.