Rwanda plan risks PTSD for soldiers
‘The Human Rights Act has an appendix excluding serving members of the armed forces from some of the clauses.'
Military personnel forced to assist with deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda risk post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or ‘moral injury’, a Quaker-linked military advice service has said.
Gwyn Gwyntopher, from At Ease, said the policy has ‘demonstrated that members of the UK armed forces can be ordered to undertake any work to which civilian workers object. If troops ordered to assist deportation voice an objection, refuse or fail to carry out any order, however repugnant, they face court martial and imprisonment’.
This danger has not gone away, he said, highlighting the chance that RAF pilots may have to fly deportation planes. ‘Orders given to the Royal Navy contravene the international law of the sea. Some of the plans, such as putting expatriates in tents on military bases, would mean the employment of soldiers as guards.’
This risk is exacerbated by the fact that military personnel may not be protected by the Human Rights Act, an issue which At Ease has long campaigned against. ‘The Human Rights Act has an appendix excluding serving members of the armed forces from some of the clauses. To declare human rights, but exclude some individuals from it on the basis of their occupation, is to award them a legal status that is less than human,’ said Gwyn Gwyntopher. ‘This is not just a theoretical injustice. Service women and men compelled to do something they believe is wrong may suffer post traumatic stress, or what is now being recognised as “moral injury”. Victims – and unwilling enforcers of cruel policies – both suffer denial of their humanity.’
Research into ‘moral injury’ (MI) – the psychological wound suffered by military personnel when their moral values are violated – has proliferated in recent years. Research suggests that it can lead to serious distress, depression and suicidal ideation.
One report in 2020 of UK military veterans, by King’s College London and funded by the Forces in Mind Trust, found that situations which may lead to MI include: witnessing human suffering; having a role in the death or mistreatment of civilians or combatants; or a betrayal event ‘within ranks’, such as bullying or negligence.
Factors that make ‘moral injury’ more likely include: lack of social support; experience of childhood adversity; unclear rules of engagement surrounding the injurious event; or if the person felt they were psychologically or emotionally unprepared.
Sending asylum seekers to Rwanda will cost about £170,000 per person, according to an economic impact report, released by the UK government in June.
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