Wed. May 30, 2012
What did your children learn in school today?
CND Cymru Supports Launch of Wales Schools Military Recruitment Petition in Cardiff
On Friday June 1st CND Cymru will join with other peace, human rights and religious groups from across Wales to launch a new petition at the Temple of Peace in Cardiff (1).
At present, the British military send their recruiters into schools to persuade young people below voting age to join the armed forces and train how to fight and kill when they leave school.
In Wales as elsewhere, schools in poorer areas are particularly targeted by highly trained recruiting teams who glorify their profession failing to tell the whole truth about the horrors of conflict and the inevitable long term social and economic costs to all of us. There should be open and honest discussion about the kind of country we want for now and the future; whether or not the state’s business in Wales should be militarism and war. Many in Wales would want our young people to be educated to learn different, non-violent models of resolving conflict. War has the greatest detrimental effect on the most vulnerable, and is one of the most environmentally damaging of human activities (2). In an ever more fragile world with diminishing resources and a relentlessly increasing population, this might better prepare our young people to work in ways to preserve their futures. Wales could take the lead in doing things differently.
At present, decisions about allowing organisations and institutions access to pupils rests with the head teacher. The petition calls upon the Assembly Government to take a moral lead and ban such practices as unacceptable in the Welsh education system (3).
Stephen Thomas, Chairman of CND Cymru who will be speaking at the petition launch, said:
”It is the fact that Britain is alone, among European Union countries, in actively recruiting 16 year olds to the armed forces which is most shocking. This manifests itself in Wales with the targeting of children of low income and ethnic minority families by the recruiters, a cynical ploy.”
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Notes:
(1) Launch of the Ban Military Recruitment in Schools campaign – 7pm, Friday June 1st at the Temple of Peace, Cathays Park, Cardiff, home of the United Nations Association and Welsh Centre for International Affairs (WCIA). CND Cymru Chair Stephen Thomas will speak along with representatives of Cymdeithas y Cymod, and CymruX. Other supporters include faith groups and United Nations Association Wales, Welsh politicians, Dafydd Iwan, Boyd Clack, and poets Patrick Jones and Mike Jenkins. See https://www.facebook.com/events/345406628860121/
(2) http://fore.research.yale.edu/disciplines/policy/trends/conflict.html
(3) LINK TO PETITION still to come - contact the organisers (see below)
Interviews and more information:
Stephen Thomas: 02920 666 645
Organisers: Leon Russell or Sara Hawys Roberts cbayrday@hotmail.co.uk m: 07980793946
this press release is from:
Jill Gough
Ysgrifennydd Cenedlaethol
National Secretary
CND Cymru
www.cndcymru.org
heddwch@cndcymru.org
