Child Soldiers Global Report 2008 - Macedonia
| Publisher | Child Soldiers International |
| Publication Date | 20 May 2008 |
| Cite as | Child Soldiers International, Child Soldiers Global Report 2008 - Macedonia, 20 May 2008, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/486cb115c.html [accessed 21 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Population: 2.0 million (494,000 under 18)
Government Armed Forces: 10,900
Compulsary Recruitment Age: no conscription (abolished 2006)
Voluntary Recruitment Age: 18
Voting Age: 18
Optional Protocol: ratified 12 January 2004
There were no reports of under-18s in the armed forces.
Government:
National recruitment legislation and practice
In April 2006 the Ministry of Defence announced that military conscription would end and the army would comprise only volunteers by the beginning of 2007. Officials said that the new army would have around 7,000 regular soldiers and 2,500 reserve troops. New soldiers would be recruited on a voluntary basis for an initial three-month training period, after which they would join the regular armed forces.1 In May 2006 parliament voted to abolish compulsory military service.2
Conscription was previously provided for in the constitution, which stated, "The defence of the Republic of Macedonia is the right and duty of every citizen" (Article 28). Under the Defence Law, all male citizens aged 17 to 55 were required to fulfil their military obligations (Article 3), including registration for conscription before the age of 18 (Article 51). Recruits had to be 18 years of age before recruitment (Article 54). To ensure that children did not join the armed forces, call-up notices were not sent to individuals until they were 19 years old. Those who volunteered to begin service earlier were allowed to start three months after their application, provided they had reached the age of 18. In a state of war or national emergency, the minimum age for membership of the Civil Protection Forces was 18 for both men and women, with military service in the armed forces subject to the same regulations as in peacetime (Articles 11-13).
In its declaration on signing the Optional Protocol in July 2001, Macedonia stated that the Defence Law did not allow under-18s to serve in the armed forces.3
Military training and military schools
The Military Academy was the only tertiary-level military educational institution. Its main task was to educate, train and provide further development for officer personnel for the army, and to engage them in research in the field of defence. Entrants had to have completed at least four years of secondary education and be at least 18 years old, but not older than 21.4
1 International Relations and Security Network, "Macedonia announces end to conscription", ISN Security Watch, 11 April 2006, www.isn.ethz.ch.
2 Amnesty International, Europe and Central Asia: Summary of Amnesty International's concerns in the region, January – June 2006, 1 December 2006.
3 Declarations and reservations to the Optional Protocol, www2.ohchr.org.
4 Republic of Macedonia Military Academy, http://va.morm.gov.mk.
