THE SNP’s youth wing Young Scots for Independence (YSI) are taking aim at the party’s policy on military recruitment.
In Scotland teenagers currently have the option of joining the military from the age of 16, putting it at odds with the majority of our European neighbours where the average age of recruitment is higher.
YSI aim to tackle this at the SNP’s upcoming conference later this year.
The 10,000 strong youth movement have lodged a motion to raise the minimum age of recruitment for any role that requires combat training from 16 up to 18.
The group claim that recruiting under-18s into the military as it currently stands breaches international human rights, while military recruitment drives disproportionately target working class young people for more dangerous roles such as the infantry.
National Online Content Editor Stephen Paton meets with the SNP Youth to talk about their motion on the military recruitment age
SNP Youth Vice Convener, Rory Steel, said: "Recruiting under 18s contradicts the UN's Rights of the Child and under the Geneva Convention, makes under 18s legitimate military targets.
"This policy is even more abhorrent when the Ministry of Defence has admitted they are targeting working class young people to make up for the adult shortfall in infantry recruits.”
He continued: "When the SNP has said we will refresh and bring forward radical new policies, this is exactly what we should be doing.
"SNP members, elected representatives and the public must make their outrage known so that this exploitative practice does not continue."
In 2014 Ipsos MORI found substantial public support for changing the policy, with 78% of UK adults in favour of raising the age of military recruitment to 18 or above.
YSI are hoping the motion will be successful in reaching conference to be put to a vote this year, after it was referred back at the SNP’s last conference in December.
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