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Child Soldiers Global Report 2001 - Estonia

REPUBLIC OF ESTONIA

Mainly covers the period June 1998 to April 2001 as well as including some earlier information.

• Population:
  – total: 1,412,000
  – under-18s: 322,000
• Government armed forces:
  – active: some 4,800
  – reserves: some 14,000
  – paramilitary: 2,800
• Compulsory recruitment age: 18 or 19 (unclear)
• Voluntary recruitment age: 17
• Voting age (government elections): 18
• Child soldiers: indicated; 30 in government armed forces in September 1999
• CRC-OP-CAC: not signed
• Other treaties ratified: CRC; GC/API+II

• There are indications of under-18s in government armed forces as volunteers can enter military service at 17 years of age.

GOVERNMENT

National Recruitment Legislation and Practice

Conscription is enshrined in Article 124 of the 1991 Constitution which states: "Estonian citizens shall be obligated to participate in national defence, in accordance with the bases and procedures established by law."⁶⁷⁷ The legal basis of conscription is the 1994 Law on Service in the National Defence Forces. Military service can be performed in the Estonian armed forces or the border guards.

Compulsory recruitment for 12 months is said to apply to all men between the ages of 19 and 27.⁶⁷⁸ Another source states that all young men above the age of 18 are liable for compulsory military service. According to the UN, "Every young man over the age of 17 can start the compulsory military service as a volunteer. In such case, the law gives him the possibility of choosing the place where he wants to serve".⁶⁷⁹ The Permanent Mission of Estonia in Geneva confirmed that 17-year-olds can volunteer and reported approximately thirty 17-year-olds in the Estonian armed forces.⁶⁸⁰ Students were exempt from military service until 1994, when new legislation stipulated that all male students who started their courses in 1994 must perform military service afterwards.⁶⁸¹ Most conscripts are not highly educated and come from the lower socio-economic classes.⁶⁸² It is reported that the number of volunteers is usually sufficient to fulfil the requisite number of recruits.⁶⁸³

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677 Blaustein and Flanz op. cit.

678 Horeman and Stolwijk op. cit.

679 Report of the Secretary-General, UN Doc. E/CN.4/1997/99 op. cit.

680 Permanent Mission of Estonia in Geneva, telephone conversation with CSC, 21/9/99.

681 Ibid.

682 Ibid.

683 Permanent Mission of Estonia – op. cit.

Topics: Child soldiers, Military service,