Too you to join the army? Campaigners demand ban on 16-year-olds signing up over mental health dangers
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Campaigners are calling on Parliament to recognise the dangers to mental health of letting 16-year-olds join the army, as it makes them more vulnerable to PTSD.
An Early Day Motion tabled this week raises awareness of a film, Life After War, made by army veteran Wayne Sharrocks.
Mr Sharrocks, who completed two tours of Afghanistan, enlisted at just 17.
After seven years he left after being involved in an IED explosion.
He has campaigned ever since on the dangers of youngsters enlisting.
Mr Sharrocks said he had learned a lot making the film.
(Image: PA)
He added: “I think that that the long term effects of military training are hugely overlooked. In short you are conditioned to follow orders without question, be fiercely loyal to your unit and most damaging of all to kill.
“The combined effect leads to a “re wiring” of the fight and fight response to always fight.
“This makes you a good soldier but leaves you in an alien unwelcoming environment when you get out into civi street with zero de conditioning.”
Mr Sharrocks backed calls for an age limit of ‘at least 18’ for people wanting to join up.
He said: “You are not legally allowed to drink or even watch some war films because of the possible health or psychological impacts these things cause.
“And at the same time you can be fully conditioned to kill before you are 18. This is completely illogical.
“It is true you don’t go to war before you are 18 but the psychological damage is done. You have been changed (possibly irreversibly).
(Image: Getty)
“Looking back to when I joined the army at 17 I can see how immature I was.
“I didn’t even consider basic job requirements such as how much I would be paid, were I would be based, ho much leave I would get. All I wanted to do was go to war. I didn’t particularly even care what that war was.“
A report released by Medact - a group of health professionals who examine conflict and the armed forces - spelled out the scale of the problem.
Sophie Neuburg, Executive Director of Medact. said: “There is strong evidence that vulnerable adolescents recruited into the armed forces are placed at an increased risk of long-term psychological harm when compared to adult recruits.
“This includes a higher likelihood of PTSD, self-harm, alcohol abuse, injury and death.
“It’s time for the UK to fall in step with the vast majority of countries and raise the minimum recruitment age to 18.”
The report said the UK is one only a handful of countries worldwide to still allow recruitment from age 16,
It added those recruited as children, upon turning 18, are more likely than adult recruits to end up in frontline combat roles which carry greater risks than other roles.
It also confirmed child recruits are more vulnerable to PTSD, alcohol abuse, self-harm, suicide, death and injury during an armed forces career when compared to adult recruits.
Soldiers who enlisted at the age of 16 were approximately twice as likely to be killed or injured in Afghanistan when compared to soldiers who enlisted above the age of 18.
And in a section devoted to PTSD, the report revealed that exposure to combat is a risk factor for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other mental disorders, particularly among younger personnel.
The Sunday People has campaigned for better treatment for people with PTSD through our long-running Save Our Soldiers campaign.