Child Soldiers Global Report 2001 - Zambia
| Publisher | Child Soldiers International |
| Publication Date | 2001 |
| Cite as | Child Soldiers International, Child Soldiers Global Report 2001 - Zambia, 2001, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/498805be1c.html [accessed 16 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. |
REPUBLIC OF ZAMBIA
Mainly covers the period June 1998 to April 2001 as well as including some earlier information.
- Population:
– total: 8,976,000
– under-18s: 4,938,000 - Government armed forces:
– active: 21,600
– paramilitary: 1,400 - Compulsory recruitment age: unknown
- Voluntary recruitment age: "apparent" age of 18; younger with consent
- Voting age (government elections): 18
- Child soldiers: unknown
- CRC-OP-CAC: not signed
- Other treaties ratified: CRC; GC/API+II
- It is not known if there are under-18s in government armed forces, but recruitment legislation is vague and appears to allow such recruitment with the consent of parents or guardians. There have been no reports of underage recruitment.
GOVERNMENT
National Recruitment Legislation and Practice
The Defence Act, Chapter 106 of the Laws of Zambia, Part IV, regulates recruitment into the armed forces. Article 14 of this Chapter provides, "a person offering to enlist in the armed forces shall be given a notice in the prescribed form setting out the questions to be answered on attestation and stating the general conditions of the enlistment." An officer shall recruit a person into the Regular Force only if this person has been given such a notice, understands it and wishes to enlist.
Under this section of the law, the person to be recruited must have the apparent age of 18 years "unless consent to the enlistment has been given in writing by his parents or guardian or, where his parents or guardian are dead or unknown, by the District Secretary of the District in which such person resides." There are no reports of underage recruitment in the country.
Military Training and Military Schools
There are five military schools in the country which are run by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Home Affairs through instructors from the defence forces. The students are between 18 and 25 years of age.
