ATLANTA – A resolution seeking to protect Georgia youth under age 17 from military recruitment, and provide safeguards for those 17 and older, will be presented at a press conference at 10 a.m. this Thursday, January 28 in Room 203 of the Capitol. Speakers will include Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield of DeKalb County, author of the House resolution; Sen. Nan Orrock of Atlanta; Azadeh Shahshahani of the ACLU of Georgia; Christopher Raissi of Veterans for Truth in Military Recruiting; and Tim Franzen of the American Friends Service Committee.

            The resolution urges the Georgia Department of Education and all Georgia school systems to:

• cease all current and future programs and activities designed to recruit children under the age of 17, as required by U.S. ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 2002;
• require written parental consent for participation of children 17 and older in “military-related programs and activities”; and
• provide students and parents with exemption forms which would prevent schools from disclosing students’ records to recruiters, as required by the No Child Left Behind Act.

             “I think this resolution is very reasonable,” said Raissi, a former Marine recruiter. “Recruiters are trained to work everyone in a high school, from freshmen to seniors. From my experience, the schools don’t give any notification to the parents about dissemination of students’ personal information to recruiters. If parents ignore their phone calls, recruiters are trained to track down every kid on the list, either at school or at home.”

            “The United States has participated in programs abroad that prevent the recruitment of child soldiers,” Shahshahani added. “America and Georgia must continue to lead by example.”

            A companion resolution will be introduced by Senator Orrock. Ten co-sponsors have signed on to the House resolution.

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Click here for more information about the Optional Protocol and military recruitment issues.

FAQ on the Optional Protocol and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.