Population: 727,000 (232,000 under 18)
Government Armed Forces: 11,200
Compulsary Recruitment Age: no conscription
Voluntary Recruitment Age: unclear
Voting Age: 20
Optional Protocol: acceded 21 September 2004
Other Treaties: GC AP I, GC AP II, CRC, ILO 182

Non-commissioned officers, technicians and specialized personnel could apparently join the army as cadets from the age of 15 and as regular soldiers at 17. However, Bahrain's declaration on its accession to the Optional Protocol stated that the minimum age for voluntary recruitment was 18.

Government:

National recruitment legislation and practice

While military service was not compulsory, according to Article 30 of the constitution, "defending [the state] shall be the duty of every citizen. Military service is an honour for the citizens and regulated by law."

The government had stated in its 2001 Initial Report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child that "Legislative Decree No. 23 of 1979 ... stipulates that recruits into the ranks must not be under 17 or over 35 years of age, except in the case of non-commissioned officers, technicians and specialized personnel who can be recruited from the age of 15 (as cadets) to the age of 40",1 while Article 3 of the decree stated that the age limit could be disregarded in times of necessity. However, Bahrain's declaration on its accession to the Optional Protocol stated that the minimum age for voluntary recruitment was 18.2

Developments:

International standards

Bahrain acceded to the Optional Protocol on 21 September 2004.

1 Initial report by Bahrain to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, UN Doc. CRC/C/11/Add.24, 23 July 2001.

2 Declaration by Bahrain on accession to the Optional Protocol, www2.ohchr.org.

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