Child Soldiers Global Report 2008 - Kuwait
| Publisher | Child Soldiers International |
| Publication Date | 20 May 2008 |
| Cite as | Child Soldiers International, Child Soldiers Global Report 2008 - Kuwait, 20 May 2008, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/486cb10f32.html [accessed 4 June 2023] |
| 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: 2.7 million (764,000 under 18)
Government Armed Forces: 15,500
Compulsary Recruitment Age: 18
Voluntary Recruitment Age: 18
Voting Age: 21
Optional Protocol: acceded 26 August 2004
Other Treaties: GC AP I, GC AP II, CRC, ILO 138, ILO 182
There were no reports of under-18s in the armed forces.
Government:
National recruitment legislation and practice
According to the government's initial report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on the Optional Protocol, Article 3 of the Army Act No. 32 of 1967 stipulated that, in order to be accepted as an army officer, a candidate had to have reached 21 years of age. Under Article 40 of the same Act, concerning non-commissioned officers and regular soldiers, a volunteer for military service had to be over 18 and under 26.1
Articles 37 and 40 of Act No. 32 of 1967 stipulated that anyone who wished to volunteer for service had to be over 18. Article 37 provided that anyone who volunteered for service as a member of the police or as a non-commissioned officer of the National Guard had to be over 20.2
Compulsory military service was regulated by the Compulsory Reserve Military Service Act No. 102 of 1980, which stated that "Compulsory military service is a duty required of every Kuwaiti of over 18 and under 30 years of age. It is a national duty dictated by the requirements of national unity and maintenance of national sovereignty. Single women of over 18 and under 30 years of age may be called for compulsory military service, pursuant to a decree, provided that their duties are compatible with their natural capacities." However, Kuwait's initial report on the Optional Protocol stated that conscription had been suspended in 2001 by the annulment of the 1980 Act because of difficulties with its implementation, temporarily exempting Kuwaitis from military service for a non-specified period of time.3
Developments:
In its concluding observations, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recommended that Kuwait ensure that the recruitment and involvement of children in hostilities was explicitly criminalized in legislation and establish extraterritorial jurisdiction for crimes regarding the recruitment and involvement of children in hostilities when committed by or against a person who was a citizen or had other links to Kuwait.4
International standards
Kuwait acceded to the Optional Protocol in August 2004. Its declaration on acceding stated that "The Government of the State of Kuwait is committed to maintaining the minimum age for voluntary service in the Kuwaiti armed forces at 18 years of age, and to prohibiting the forced conscription of any persons under 18."5
1 Initial report of Kuwait to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on the implementation of the Optional Protocol, UN Doc. CRC/C/OPAC/KWT/1, 24 April 2007.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Committee on the Rights of the Child, Consideration of report submitted by Kuwait on the implementation of the Optional Protocol, Concluding observations, unedited version, UN Doc. CRC/C/OPAC/KWT/CO/1, 1 February 2008.
5 Declaration on accession to the Optional Protocol, www2.ohchr.org.
