Professional paper

Obligatory Military Service and/or Civil Service

Zlatko Gareljić

Abstract

Facing all the possible and existing extreme views considering the question of obligatory military service and civil service, it is necessary and possible to give realistic and responsible analysis of the problem. It is the responsibility of the state to secure a rational and effective security system and to organise, maintain and develop a defence system and armed forces as its central, powerful part. The equivalent responsibility is upon a democratic state and democratic society to ensure the protection and promotion of human rights and freedoms. The right to conscientious objection is one of the basic human rights. It is rooted in the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, the principles clearly defined by the UN
Universal Declaration on Human Rights (1948) and the European Convention on Human Rights (1950). In the past years the norms and standards of the respect for the right to conscientious objection and alternative, civil service, have been clearly defined through the
national laws and practices, through the activities of the international organisations - Council of Europe, European Parliament, OESS and UN - and through the activities of the national and international non-governmental organizations. Nevertheless, some countries with
obligatory military service either do not respect the right to conscientious objection and alternative service at all, or have unsatisfactory laws and practices considering the accepted
norms and standards. By altering and improving the laws and practices considering the respect for the right to conscientious objection and civil service, Croatia has achieved the highest standards and can serve as an example to the other countries in the region. With the process of professionalization of the armed forces, the alternative, civil service will be discontinued, but the possibility of conscientious objection will remain. With the prospect of adoption of
the all-volunteer armed forces format, the good communication and relations between the society and the armed forces become even more important.

Keywords

military service; civil service; conscientious objection; armed forces; professionalization

Hrčak ID:

4726

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/4726

Publication date:

31.12.2005.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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