Child Soldiers Global Report 2001 - Caribbean (other): Saint Lucia, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and Grenadine

(See individual entries on Antigua And Barbuda, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad And Tobago)

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

  • Population:
    – total: 461,000
    – under-18s: 166,000
  • Government armed forces: Nil
  • Compulsory recruitment age: no conscription
  • Voluntary recruitment age: N/A
  • Child Soldiers: none indicated
  • Other treaties ratified:
    – Grenada: CRC;GC – Saint Lucia, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and Grenadine: CRC; GC/API+II

GOVERNMENT

National Recruitment Legislation and Practice

Grenada, Saint Lucia, Dominica, Saint Vincent and Grenadine and Saint Kitts and Nevis have police forces only, although some paramilitary training is provided for special units. The police are generally organised and supervised according to British law enforcement practices.361 None of these Caribbean states has a system of conscription into security forces and, therefore, recruitment is on a voluntary basis only.362


361 Library of the US Congress op. cit.

362 Radda Barnen (Swedish Save the Children) Website.

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