Legal situation and exceptions of civil conscription
– Civil conscription is an exception of the Forced Labour Convention of 1930 of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
– Unfree labour shall not include work or service exacted in virtue of compulsory military service laws for work of a purely military character.
– Unfree labour shall not include work or service which forms part of the normal civic obligations of the citizens of a fully self-governing country.
– Unfree labour shall not include work or service exacted from any person as a consequence of a conviction in a court, provided that the said work or service is carried out under the supervision and control of a public authority.
– Unfree labour shall not include work or service exacted in cases of emergency, such as war, calamity, or threatened calamity.
Types of civil conscription
– Civil conscription due to extraordinary events: In times of war, economic crisis, natural disasters, or epidemics, a civil duty may be established to perform necessary tasks for a certain period of time.
– Civilian conscription for the benefit of the community: Governments can order a civil service duty to be performed repetitively for a longer period of time, such as fire protection or infrastructure work at the municipal level.
– Civilian duty to strengthen national values: Some countries implement compulsory service to convey national values and strengthen national cohesion.
– Present-day civil conscription.
Present-day civil conscription in Austria, France, and Germany
– Austria: In addition to mandatory military service, citizens can be conscripted for compulsory fire service and hand and hitch-up services.
– France: The prefect of a department may take measures to maintain public order and conscript system-preserving professional groups during emergencies.
– Germany: During a state of defense, male citizens could be drafted for military service or a mandatory service in the border guard.
– Germany: Female citizens between the ages of 18 and 55 could be called to perform medical duties during a state of defense.
– Germany: Male citizens could be drafted for a service in a civil protection force during a state of defense.
Civil conscription in Ghana, Israel, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Spain
– Ghana: Graduates from accredited universities in Ghana are required by law to do a one-year national service to the country.
– Israel: The Emergency Labor Service Act obliges every resident of Israel, except for specific groups, to a compulsory labor service in essential companies during a crisis.
– Nigeria: Graduates of Nigerian universities and polytechnics are required to serve in the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for one year.
– Rwanda: Umuganda is a national holiday in Rwanda where mandatory nationwide community work takes place on the last Saturday of every month.
– Spain: During an ‘estado de alarma,’ the Spanish government can impose civil conscription for professional groups during serious disturbances of normality.
Historical examples of civil conscription in the United Kingdom and related concepts
– United Kingdom: The British government implemented civil conscription, known as Bevin Boys, during World War II to address the labor shortage caused by the war and its aftermath.
– Related concepts: Community service, corvée, Himeyuri Students during World War II in Japan, national service, workfare.
Note: The remaining content does not provide enough information for additional subtopics and bullet list items. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_conscription
Civil conscription is the obligation of civilians to perform mandatory labour for the government. This kind of work has to correspond with the exceptions in international agreements, otherwise it could fall under the category of unfree labour. There are two basic kinds of civil conscriptions. On the one hand, a compulsory service can be ordered on a temporary basis during wartimes and other times of emergency, like severe economic crisis or extraordinary natural events to provide basic services to the population. These include, but are not limited to, medical care, food supplies, defense industry supplies or cleanup efforts, following a severe weather or environmental disaster for the duration of the emergency. Therefore, it generally makes striking illegal for the duration of the civil mobilization. On the other hand, a revolving mandatory service may be required for a longer period of time, for example, to ensure community fire protection or to carry out infrastructure work at a local or community level.
