The campaign for the British Army to stop recruiting under 18-year-olds is gaining ground but the stress and anxiety that being in warlike situations for children reaches far wider than this campaign.
The BBC reported that campaigners and religious figures have joined an open letter from human rights group Child Soldiers International called on the Ministry of Defence to raise the joining age from the current 16.
But around the world, particularly in Africa, children are still being recruited by national armed forces. Over the past few decades the recruitment of children by armed groups has become a serious humanitarian problem.
In many situations children carry arms and actively take part in the fighting. But they can also be used in supporting roles, such as carrying supplies or providing military intelligence, which puts them in great danger. And this leads to an onset of severe anxiety and stress, even post traumatic stress. The 1989 Convention on the rights of the child, which has achieved almost universal ratification, included the 15 age limit and an optional protocol to this Convention, in May 2000, lifted the age for compulsory recruitment to 18 and called on States to raise the minimum age for voluntary recruitment above 15.
But recognition of a universal age limit of 18 by the international community has still not been achieved.
A major part of a hypnotherapist’s work is helping the client cope with a variety of stress and anxiety as well as other psychological issues. Members of the National Council of Hypnotherapy are trained in treating such issues. The hypnotherapist can assess the stress and anxiety, identifying the root of the anxiety whether it is a situation, a physical issue, a past experience or a relationship.
Then they will set the client a goal asking how they wish to feel, how they would like to be, and things that they would chose to do if free of anxiety. They will then work with the client to reach those goals using a range of different techniques. Every therapist may use slightly different techniques, but working towards the same goal.
After sessions with a hypnotherapist the client may feel more confident; more relaxed in situations that have previously challenged them. Many people say that they are calmer and that they have more clarity of thought – able to make decisions more easily. People who have experienced side effects of anxiety such as insomnia, find that they are sleeping much better and as a result are able to work more effectively.
Dave, who joined the army at 16, told the BBC he thought recruits should be at least 20. He said: “You’ve got two years training before you go into a theatre of war. But still, you’re still a child. At 18 you’re going through massive life changes and still experiencing.”
And Graca Machel, Nelson Mandela’s wife, said, in a report on the impact of armed conflict on children, that the physical, sexual and emotional violence to which children are exposed shatters their world.
If you are suffering from stress and anxiety as a result of some form of terror or violence, or know someone who his, make contact with the National Council for Hypnotherapy. Their members can help.