Home

Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth

action reports alternatives to militarism conscription counter-recruitment direct action education Education-Military-Industrial Complex International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth militainment public space resistance social media War Resisters' International International

On 23-29 November this year, activists from across the world are taking action against the militarisation of young people in their countries, cities and towns. Join us this November in the International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth with your own nonviolent actions... + continue reading

What is the militarisation of youth?

counter-recruitment education

Warfare has changed. For many years, war has been waged through conscripted armies, often sending 'boots on the ground': soldiers to occupy or overtake land, often in adjacent of closeby places. Conscription is alive and well in many nations, but the trend internationally is towards... + continue reading

Countering the militarisation of youth

The militarisation of youth does not go unnoticed and unchallenged. When War Resisters' International initially discussed how to respond to the challenges of changes in military recruitment, we were encouraged by the long and inspiring history of counter-recruitment work in the USA. ... + continue reading

Where to go from here

counter-recruitment education resistance

Have you read this website and recognised that there is a problem with youth militarisation where you live? On this page you can find out what to do next. Here are some ideas: Visit the links page to see if there are organisations working on this near you Support WRI's work on... + continue reading

Inspiration for resistance!

counter-recruitment inspiration resistance

This page is a celebration of things that have gone well for those campaigning against the militarisation of youth! It's a place to find inspiration for your own actions. Anything you'd like adding to this page, please submit it at http://antimili-youth.net/node/add, or email... + continue reading

Introduction to Countering the Militarisation of Youth

From the moment we are born, in many cultures children and young people are exposed to the military and military values around them. We call this the militarisation of youth. Militarisation of young people goes far beyond overt recruitment from the armed forces. It includes the presence and influence of the armed forces in education, social media, public military events such as street parades and memorial, military-themed and violent video games and across many other forms of entertainment and fashion.

This website is part of a project to identify and challenge the many ways in which young people around the world are encouraged to accept the military and military values as normal, and worthy of their uncritical support. For more info, visit About Us.

Countering the Militarisation of Youth is a project of War Resisters' International.

Featured Content

A uniform hat at a Naval Academy graduation in Annapolis, Md., in 2008

Navy desertions have more than doubled amid suicide concerns, as sailors feel trapped by contracts

19/05/22

The number of sailors who deserted the Navy more than doubled from 2019 to 2021, highlighting the lack of options contract-bound sailors face when they’re desperate to leave. Melissa Chan | NBC News - The number of sailors who deserted the Navy more than doubled from 2019 to 2021, while desertions in other military branches dropped or... + continue reading

Several young Russians have fled the country, fearing that they would be sent to the front line as conscripts [File: Dmitry Kostyukov/AFP]

Fearing front-line deployment, some Russians resist conscription

24/03/22

As rumours of martial law spread across Russia in early March, some young men abruptly left their homeland, fearing they would be conscripted and sent to the battlefield in Ukraine. They are among thousands of people who have fled Russia since February 24, as a crackdown grows on anti-war sentiment. Ivan*, 17, flew to Turkey on Monday from... + continue reading

A young Russian conscript receives a military uniform ahead of departing for service in November 2021. (Kirill Kukhmar / TASS

Military Conscription Is a Crime Against Humanity

12/03/22

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a reminder that military conscription remains foundational to modern warfare. It is a reckless, self-defeating, and criminal practice that makes us all less safe — and it should have been abolished long ago. Jonah Walters | Jacobin | The shocking and massively destructive Russian assault on Ukraine,... + continue reading

Recent Content

Young men in Syria fear being conscripted into the regime's army

Daraa youth refuse to join compulsory 'murderous' Syrian regime military service, fear for uncertain future

Updated: 07/04/2022 - 23:38

Many young men in Syria's southern Daraa province are refusing to join the Assad regime's military forces and now fear for their fate as a conscription deadline approaches.

Young men...

+ continue reading

Two former child soldiers Sierra Leone reflect on their experiences

Updated: 20/01/2022 - 15:25

Two former child soldiers reflect on their experiences during Sierra Leone's brutal civil war and their lives since.

Syrian Kurds Demand End to Child Recruitment

Updated: 24/12/2021 - 01:30

Dozens of Kurdish parents and activists protested outside the United Nations offices in Qamishli, Syria, on Sunday against the recruitment of children by local military groups.

The demonstration took place after several teenage girls were...

+ continue reading