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

  • Population:
    – total: 2,560,000
    – under-18s: 959,000
  • Government armed forces:
    – active: 2,830
    – reserves: 953
  • Compulsory recruitment age: no conscription
  • Voluntary recruitment age: 18 with consent
  • Voting age (government elections): 18
  • Child soldiers: indicated in government forces
  • CRC-OP-CAC: signed on 8 September 2000
  • Other treaties ratified: CRC; GC/API+II
  • There are indications of under-18s in government armed forces as volunteers under the age of 18 with parental consent may be recruited.

CONTEXT

There is no armed conflict in Jamaica but levels of violence in the country remain high. The military has been deployed to assist the police force (JCF) in maintaining public order.987 The armed forces have also been involved in peacekeeping missions in the past in Grenada, Trinidad and Haiti.988 Jamaica strongly supported efforts to ban the use of child soldiers while chairing the UN Security Council in 2000 and during the preparatory meetings for the 2001 UN General Assembly Special Session on Children.

GOVERNMENT

National Recruitment Legislation and Practice

The Jamaican Defence Force (JDF) was constituted under Section 4 of the Defence Act, which states that "there shall be established in Jamaica a body of her Majesty's military forces to be called the Jamaica Defence Force and shall consist of a regular Force and a reserve to be known as the Jamaica National Reserve". The Defence Act charges the JDF with the defence of Jamaica and maintenance of order in the country.989 Military recruitment is on voluntary basis only.990 Minimum enlistment age is 18, but younger recruits with parental consent may be accepted.991 Data on the number of under-18s in the JDF is not available.

Initial basic training lasts 18 weeks and is carried out at the JDF Training Depot, Newcastle. Prospective officers are integrated into the standard recruit training programme and then selected for training overseas in Canada or the UK.

Military Training and Military Schools

The Jamaica Defence Force also has a cadet organisation for boys and girls of high/secondary school age, the Jamaica Combined Cadet Force (JCCF). This organisation is based in schools throughout Jamaica and is administered by a committee chaired by the JDF Chief of Staff. The JCCF is funded by the government and receives assistance and support for its training programme from the JDF but is mainly staffed by school personnel. Although members of the JCCF receive basic military training they are not considered part of the JDF and are therefore not liable for service.992

987 US Department of State, op. cit. Jamaica.; AI website.

988 http://www.jdfmil.org/careers/default.htm, Website of Jamaica Defence Force.

989 Ibid.

990 Centre on Conscience & War op. cit.

991 Jamaica Defence Force op. cit.

992 Ibid.

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