War trauma worst for disadvantaged young
New report highlights the situation for young soldiers from disadvantaged backgrounds
Young soldiers recruited from disadvantaged backgrounds are much more likely to return from war with mental health problems than other troops, says a new report published by human rights group ForcesWatch.
The report, The Last Ambush? Aspects of mental health in the British armed forces’ shows that younger recruits are much more likely to suffer post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), to drink at levels harmful to health, and to behave violently on their return from war. Young recruits from disadvantaged backgrounds are at greatest risk.
David Gee, the report’s author, says: ‘When it comes to the trauma of warfare, recruits from the poorest backgrounds face a “perfect storm” of pre-existing vulnerability and greater battlefield exposure. Recruiting sixteen-year- olds into the infantry puts the most vulnerable group in roles most exposed to trauma when they turn eighteen and are sent to war.’
The report calls on the government to review its policy of recruiting from age sixteen, to ‘ensure that recruits share the risks more equally and that they assume them at the age of adult responsibility’. It notes that the UK is the only state in the European Union to recruit from age sixteen and one of only nineteen worldwide.
The Ministry of Defence says the report ignores the benefits of a military career, such as education, training and employment. It claims that the level of PTSD in the military is similar to that amongst civilians and the rate of suicide is actually lower. However, ForcesWatch refute these claims, saying: ‘Government statistics showing the average prevalence of mental health problems in the armed forces mask the much greater burden that certain groups shoulder, particularly young people from adverse backgrounds and those who have left the forces in the last decade.’
The report is the first overview of various studies taken of young soldiers since the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. It draws on over 150 sources, including forty-one British military mental health studies, as well as testimony from veterans.
Sam Walton, peace and disarmament programme manager for Quaker Peace & Social Witness, said: ‘British Quakers have been campaigning against the recruitment of under-eighteen-years-olds in the armed forces for many years now, both in Geneva at the Quaker United Nations Office and with the UK parliament. This latest report brings us one step closer to ending the practice, and Forces Watch must be congratulated for their thorough and relevant research.
‘Britain Yearly Meeting fully supports the work of ForcesWatch, from hosting their meetings and conferences in Friends House to placing a peaceworker with ForcesWatch for a year in 2012 to 2013. It is wonderful to see their work gaining national media exposure and raising awareness of this vital issue.’
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