Israel: New Profile report on child recruitment released

New Profile launched a report on Child Recruitment in Israel on 29 July 2004. This comprehensive report, for the first time, surveys and analyses diverse forms of compulsory and voluntary, direct and indirect, child recruitment in Israel. Such recruitment often violates international law and always violates the Israeli society's commitment to protect its children from involvement in armed conflict.

The report describes various forms of child recruitment by State authorities, private organisations and armed militias in Israel. It examines the deeper causes of this phenomenon and locates it within a broad cultural and historical context. Among the phenomena discussed are:

• Children's participation in military training
• Military use of child labour
• Direct involvement of children in hostilities performed by armed militias
• Children required to wear military uniform or bear arms
• Forced use of Palestinian children by the Israeli military for its purposes, endangering the children's lives
• Symbolic recruitment and preparation for enlistment from the first years of life

A parallel report, prepared by Defence for Children International – Palestine Section, which surveys the recruitment of Palestinian children, is due to be launched in the coming days.